Mobius VII - Book 1: Escape from the City
by Zonic The Zone Cop
Summary: Ex-SOLDIER Miles Tails Prower just started his first job - destroying the one of the Energen Reactors powering the city of Megaopolis. When his paths cross with a mysterious woman though, the shadows of his past catch up to him and he now must stop a force that threatens Mobius.
1. Rain in the RINGTEK Metropolis

**Mobius VII**

**BOOK 1: The Escape from the City**

**Sonic, SATAM. Based on the Final Fantasy VII storyline**

**Disclaimer: I do not own SATAM, Sonic the Hedgehog, SEGA ****Sonic****, Final Fantasy VII and all related characters/plots; I don't own the plots or characters of any. They belong to their respective companies; SEGA and Square Enix**

Chapter 1: Rain in the RINGTEK Metropolis

A storm was coming.

It was an event that happens only once every few months in the wastelands surrounding the massive, industrial city of Megaopolis, the "Heart of Mobius". Black clouds began to intermingle with the ashen, grey-yellow smog emitted from the metropolis' eight towering reactors, blocking out the rays of sunlight struggling to get through. Whatever organisms that eked a living on the barren lands started to burrow underground or find cover around the large rock formations in anticipation of the tempest to come.

Even the larger prowlers, horribly mutated by the radioactive runoff discharged from the city's reactors, were forced to seek shelter once the first few claps of thunder erupted, shaking the earth itself. In spite of their limited and rapidly decomposing intelligence, their basic, bestial instincts sensed that something was amiss.

This was no ordinary storm.

The threat of lightning and thunder did not stop the only two figures that refused to hide, instead trudging their way slowly towards Megaopolis. One was a blue hedgehog, with long, sharp quills coming out of the back of his round head and sweeping down his back. He wore a dark blue vest and long, baggy wool trousers, held up with thick, brown suspenders. A steel plate was fastened to the top of the trousers and covered with leather to protect the abdominal area. Black, battle-scarred leather pauldrons adorned his shoulders. His hands were covered with well-worn black leather gloves, which were cracking from prolonged use. On his feet, deep red sneakers with a broad, white stripe crossing the top, ending with a gold buckle on the outer side of each shoe.

On his back, the suspenders were bound together by a flat, circular, metal disk; attached to the disk was an enormous, gun-metal grey broadsword, five feet long, with a single, one foot wide edge. The riveted hand guard was adorned by swirling, golden designs. The base of the blade by the hand guard had straight, angular etchings on either side. The sword had two holes bored into it, near the hand guard, and above them laid two smaller holes. In each held two, brilliant green gems inserted into slots, linked side by side.

His unnaturally glowing jade-green eyes appeared to be focused towards the city looming in the distance; however, they were imperceptibly looking in all directions, observing even the tiniest of details. Ears kept flicking slightly to and fro, hearing sounds from miles away. Sinewy muscles relaxed, yet tensed in case of action.

His clothes were riddled with holes and tears while his body was covered in still-healing wounds; gun shots in non-critical areas, slashes from claws, swords and talons and bruises from blunt objects. His shoes were caked in a mixture of dirt and blood. The constant battles slowly, but surely wearing him out.

The hedgehog had his arm wrapped around his companion; a 21 year old orange-furred fox, stumbling about, unable to support his own weight. He was clothed in an exact replica of his protector's uniform, with slight differences. The zipper on the vest was down slightly, revealing tufts of white fur underneath. Instead of two pauldrons, he wore a large, metal one on his left shoulder, with cylindrical studs extruding from its surface. On his wrists were brown and grey gloves and on his left arm, from wrist to three quarters up his forearm, was a studded armlet to use as a guard. He wore brown, standard-issue combat leather boots. On the base of his left ear was a piercing; a single, silver hoop. He was weak and had no means to defend himself, relying solely on the good graces of his friend to keep him safe.

His body was thin, his pointed, white muzzle gaunt and sunken. His ears lay flat and his nose was dry as he staggered forward, his friend coaxing him onward. His irises were coloured an unnatural, electric blue, but his vision was clouded; wisps of silver and gold fogged his sight to the point where he could barely see in front of him. He was otherwise, uninjured. Apart from his eyes, he was as normal as can be for a Mobian.

With the exception of his large, bushy twin tails, dragging on the lifeless earth as he ambled.

Drool was slowly dripping out of his hung mouth and he moaned quietly as another crack of thunder erupted from the sky.

His friend stopped and bent his head down to look at him, concern flooding his features. "You OK buddy?" he asked softly. The fox only mewled in response.

The hedgehog didn't know what to make of the answer. He shrugged and said cheerfully to the fox, attempting to change the subject, "We're almost at Megaopolis, it's only another few miles to go, lighten up!" The fox moaned again.

The warrior sighed. "Man, this trip did a number on you..." he mumbled as he continued to drag the semi-comatose vulpine onward.

Soon enough, the rain started to fall, in small, light droplets onto the duo. The hedgehog stopped to look upwards, frowning. "Well, this won't do," he mumbled, looking around for shelter.

He spotted a cave at the bottom of a ridge overlooking the city, straight and to the left of him slightly. "OK Tails," he addressed the fox by name. "We're gonna go to that cave over there and camp out 'til the rain stops," he said, pointing towards the cave.

'Tails' said nothing at first, and then nodded imperceptibly.

The hedgehog smiled and started walking to the cavern. "Don't worry about a thing Tails," he said as he guided him. "You'll be alright. We'll get to Megaopolis, find you a doctor to help you get better." He paused, grunting as he started going up an incline on the way. "And then after that, we'll be on our way to fame and fortune! All you have to do," he continued as the rain started to pour harder, "is just to hang on for a couple more hours, OK little buddy?"

His pace started to slow as the ground beneath him became muddy and slippery, making it harder for the invalid Tails to gain any traction. The spiny swordsman gritted his teeth, summoning up more strength to continue onward, his sneakers starting to make squelching sounds in the mud with every step.

Tails started to slip further, causing the hedgehog to stumble himself, almost losing his footing. Looking ahead, the cave was only a few hundred feet away from where he was. The rain started coming down in sheets now. Lightning arced and flashed across the sky wickedly. Thunder boomed loudly, causing the hedgehog to flinch at the sound.

As they neared the cave, the swordsman's ultra-sensitive hearing noticed different sounds besides falling rain and thunder; the sounds of helicopters, of Overlanders and Mobians communicating, directing orders, tanks treads rolling over and bipedal mechaniloids stepping on the continuously saturating soil. His ears shot up like arrows, eyes widening.

"Damnit, they found us..." he whispered to himself. He hoisted up Tails, using as much of his remaining strength he could muster to drag the catatonic Mobian to the mouth of the cave. He set him down slowly, hiding him behind a boulder, and then he stood up to go back outside.

"Listen Tails," he said to the fox as he drew his sword to check it over, looking out into the distance. "Kintobor's army's found us. Doesn't look like they'll be taking us alive either." He looked back and smiled at Tails, a tinge of sadness in his eyes. "I want you to stay here and be safe. I'll draw them away from here by going to the top of the ridge." He paused briefly at the thought, taking a breath to relax himself. "I promised you, Miles 'Tails' Prower, that I would get you to the city and help you fix whatever the hell they did to you, and I'll keep it, if my name isn't Sonic the..."

Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence, his brow furrowed and teeth gritted. "They're almost here!" he said, placing his sword on the disk on his back and running out from the cave to the direction where his heightened senses led him.

Tails looked up from his hiding spot in the cave to see his departing friend. He extended his hand, trying to reach out to him, to tell him not to go. He willed himself to say, "Don't leave! You'll die!" but no words left his mouth, just an utterance of sound. He tried to get up from the ground, but only succeeded in falling flat on his face. Undeterred, he started to slowly crawl his way out of the cave, in hopes of reaching his friend. The exertion was taxing his frail body, and it was only moments later when his limited strength failed him and he passed out in exhaustion just outside the cave, hidden away from the army's eyes.

Soldiers by the droves marched towards the ridge, each sporting coloured uniforms to denote rank. Blue uniforms for grunts, green for platoon leaders, grey for sergeants and red for the higher ups. They were flanked by tanks and 'Sweepers': bipedal machines with large spikes for feet, high-caliber machine guns for arms and small anti-personnel missiles, hidden inside the elongated, rectangular body which was parallel to the ground. Attached to the back of the machines was a large motor, spewing out greyish-yellow exhaust into the air. The 'face' of the machine consisted of a large intake grill with vertical slats of metal, opening and closing to make a frightening visage. On the side of the body, a model number was etched into the burnished metal, KMI-E-SERIES-25. Helicopters flew above them, the now-constant rainfall disclosing their location in the air.

Sonic dashed up to the top of the ridge near the cave at max speed, making sure he left a trail distinct enough for the army to follow him. Sure enough, they followed the muddy tracks, trapping him at the peak. The soldiers lined up, cocking their machine guns, raindrops splattering on their helmets and sounding like the drums of war. The sweepers, tanks and helicopters aimed weaponry of all sorts at the lone figure standing near the edge.

He knew he could run; he could jump off the side of the cliff and dash down it to escape, but he could not this time. _'No more running,_' Sonic thought. '_I can't leave Tails behind. It's time to fight." _He turned to face the crowds of soldiers, vehicles and mechs, determined to take this to the end.

"SOLDIER First Class, Sonic," a general holding a megaphone spoke, his voice nearly drowned out by the rain. "You are surrounded. Turn yourself and the other subject over, or face destruction at the hands of the Kintobor Army."

Sonic could barely make out where the voice was coming from. It did not matter to him however; he made up his mind long ago. "Boy, oh boy," he said, shaking his head, smiling. "The price of freedom is steep." Drawing his sword, he took the flat of his blade and rested it on his forehead, closing his eyes.

Above him, the storm raged, lightning shot through the sky, illuminating everything for brief moments while thunder erupted, making it sound like the gods above were demanding that the bloodbath be started.

And then Sonic opened his eyes, which shined with an unholy light. His body started to radiate energy; tiny green bolts of electricity crackled around him, mimicking the tempest above. He felt his quills rising up, his entire body supercharged for battle.

He softly intoned a verse he inherited from his mentor, memorized through long years of battle and hardship:

"Neither for glory, nor for riches, we protect the dreams of all and maintain our honor... as SOLDIER!"

And, as the last word was spoken, Sonic, former SOLDIER First Class and the fastest living Mobian on record, threw his sword into the air and curled up into a ball, as any hedgehog would do in the face of danger.

The grunts were bewildered at the move, dropping their guard involuntarily. The general in the helicopter who ordered his surrender actually smiled, thinking that the former SOLDIER decided to give up.

And then, the curled up rodent started rapidly spinning in place on the ground, soon becoming a blue, blurring ball. The sword thrown into the air lazily reached the apex of its arc and started falling, gravity bringing the mass of metal hurtling to the land.

Just when the sword was about twenty feet from the ground, Sonic launched himself, the momentum of his spin dashing him forward. He pushed off of the surface and launched himself into the air like a rubber ball hitting the floor, right into the path of his own weapon. He then untucked his arms and grabbed the sword at the hilt, while rotating at maximum velocity. This had the effect of turning the warrior into a spinning, twelve foot diameter buzz saw of death, flying forward into the soldiers that were gawking at the sight.

Sonic struck, mowing down an entire unit, body parts flying in all directions. He uncurled and jumped straight into the next horde, swinging the massive sword, cutting soldiers and mechs indiscriminately, pushing his battle-scarred body to its limits. Around him, orders to fire were shouted out, but the SOLDIER did not care. All he was focused on was the battle at hand and taking out anything and everything within his reach to protect his friend, Tails. Even if it killed him.

"COME AND GET IT!"

"FIRE! SEND EVERYTHING AT HIM! KILL THAT HEDGEHOG!"

And thus, the ground was awash with rain... and blood.

–

When Tails awoke alone in the nook that hid him from the army, the rain had begun to taper off slightly. Sunlight started to peer through the now clearing clouds. Blinking, he placed a hand on the muddied ground and pushed himself up to a sitting position. Wiping his eyes with the other, cleaner hand, he noticed that his sight had returned; he could not see the fog of silver and gold that had greatly limited his vision before.

And then suddenly, his eyesight sharpened. Everything started to come into greater clarity, contrast and magnification. He could pick out the minute details in a rock formation several thousand feet away. He could see the tiny organisms that were crawling around a moss-filled boulder from his peripheral vision. Colours and shapes, both known and unknown, were pouring into his eyes and his mind was rapidly processing the information, lest it overloaded.

Next, his sense of smell returned. Immediately, the two-tailed fox could smell the clearing rain, then the putrid breaths of monsters lurking in their hideaways, followed along with the scent of gunpowder and the strong, coppery odor of blood. This particular stench was greatest at the ridge near the cave where he was hidden; the very ridge where Sonic went to. Tails turned his head towards the ridge, perking his ears up in reflex.

As soon as he did this, he was able to hear the mutated monsters emerge from their hiding places, yards away from his current position. He could hear their growls, their snarls, their yelps and roars with extreme clarity. He then picked up the sound of feather-light breathing and a barely heard moan. Focusing on that particular noise only, the fox gritted his teeth and went to his hands and knees, crawling up the ridge.

As he reached the summit, Tails felt his muscles grow stronger, little by little as he moved closer to the scent. Slowly, he made it to the top only to meet a grisly scene.

The outcropping of rock was stained red, caused by spilled blood. Broken machine parts were strewn here and there, with black-charred marks riddled all over their lifeless husks. The bodies of soldiers, both Mobian and Overlander, were scattered all around, bronze bullet casings draped over their whole or dismembered bodies like garlands of flowers. The remains of a helicopter were teetering on the edge of the cliff. It was a macabre scene to behold. The first thought to cross Tails' mind when he arrived and scanned his surroundings was '_Where's Sonic?_'

Tails answered his own question once his eyes landed on the only body barely left breathing; a mangled Sonic, whose life force was streaming endlessly through a large hole blown into his chest, a hand clutched in a bone-breaking grip around the hilt of his sword. His shimmering eyes were starting to fade.

Tails' eyes widened at the sight and raced to his friend, half crawling and half stumbling in haste. The fur around his muzzle was muddy when he reached the hedgehog's side, panting and out of breath. He searched the SOLDIER's body in a futile effort to save him, knowing he was too far gone.

The hedgehog chuckled at his fate, and then coughed up blood.

"Sonic-" Tails started softly, his voice rough from misuse, but the hedgehog interrupted him.

"For the... both of us...," he said, taking in a shallow breath.

The fox blinked, processing what he heard. "The both of us?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yep... that's right," Sonic replied, wheezing. He raised his other arm, struggling at the effort, and placed it behind Tails' head. "You're gonna... You're gonna..."

"Live."

Sonic embraced the fox at the last word, his hand dropping back into the mud a moment later. Tails rose up, the hedgehog's blood mixed in with the mud caked on his face, and nodded in acknowledgement. He would live for the both of them.

Satisfied, the SOLDIER then attempted to lift up his sword, his arm shaking with the effort. He only managed to lift the hilt of the sword up.

"Take... the Buster Sword..." said Sonic, offering it to the vulpine. "Continue living... My dreams... my honor... they're yours now."

"You are… my living legacy."

Tails took the sword at the hilt with both hands. It was still warm. To his surprise, he found the weapon to be lighter than he thought it would be, despite its size. He looked down at it, and then to its owner, giving him a tiny nod.

"I am... your living... legacy," he said, gripping the hilt tightly in his hands.

Sonic then took his right hand off the hilt and it too, joined his left on the wet ground. His breathing started to slow as his mouth opened a last time, saying one final thing that Tails almost didn't hear:

"Take... care of her."

He smiled one last time, his eyes glazing over, before he passed away.

Tails watched on as the hedgehog warrior died, realizing the price his friend paid to save his own life. His mind recalled all their moments together, from beginning to end.

He met him on a routine mission gone wrong; it was his brains and Sonic's brawn that turned the tables to make it a success. From that moment, the two were an inseparable duo, Sonic charging head first into skirmishes, Tails bringing up the rear as support.

Off-duty, they hung out, pulled pranks on unsuspecting army officials and told stories of their lives and dreams.

Everything changed when they got the order to investigate certain disturbances occurring in his hometown of Knothole…

And finally, their escape from the army that they once served, comrades and friends now enemies to evade or defeat, leading to the moment of Sonic's death, and of Tails' survival.

The fox's eyes widened in shock at the realization, after all the memories washed over him. Sonic was not coming back. He was gone. Forever.

And he screamed to the heavens, long and loud, hoping that all those in Megaopolis could hear him. He screamed until his throat became raw and sore. The pain in his throat felt like nothing compared to what he felt inside.

As his screams echoed over the land, Tails looked at the horizon, towards Megaopolis, and then looked back to the dead warrior beside him. Instantly, he recalled a saying his friend once told him:

"Embrace your dreams. If you wanna be a hero, you gotta have dreams."

Tails let the words wash over him and looked towards the city on the horizon, making the decision to finish the journey for the both of them. He got up, using the Buster Sword as a support, and began to walk slowly down the slope. He turned back to Sonic, looking at him one last time.

"Thank you," he softly said to his still body. "I won't forget. Adios, Sonic the Hedgehog."

He walked away from his deceased friend, never looking back as he did so.

* * *

A/N: And so it begins anew. Enjoy and see you in a month!


	2. The Megaopolis Pits

A/N: Disclaimer is both in Chapter 1 and on my profile. Chapter 2 is here, enjoy!

UPDATE: I've made a few additions. How they fit into the grand scheme of things is something you'll have to find out in later installments!

* * *

Chapter 2: The Megaopolis Pits

The city of Megapolis was considered a marvel of architecture and engineering. What originally started as a small kingdom surrounded by eight villages, became a metropolis that was the home of 750,000 Overlanders and 500,000 Mobians in the span of several decades. Facilitating the rapid development of the city was the discovery and use of RINGTEK.

Ring Technology – RINGTEK – was developed by Kintobor Power Incorporated, headed by the Kintobor Family. It utilized a revolutionary energy source called Energen – a wispy, liquid-like substance extracted deep in the planet's crust, with a power output ten times greater than most fossil fuels at nearly half of the extraction cost. Once extracted from the ground, the Energen is either processed through a reactor and converted into electricity to transmit throughout the massive city, or more popularly forged into super-charged batteries shaped like rings that can be used to power many applications, from everyday household items like tele-crates or refrigerators and personal handsets, to vehicles, medical equipment, heavy machinery and even weapons of war. The power capacity of RINGTEK was so efficient that one ring could theoretically run a pacemaker to keep someone alive for generations.

The creation of RINGTEK ushered in a golden age for Mobius. However, such change was not without consequences. RINGTEK, for all its advantages, had no way to recharge itself; used rings are discarded and replaced at an alarming rate due to the high power demand current technology requires. The extraction process robbed the land of its natural fertility, and the creation process itself required large amounts of air and water, resulting in polluted exhaust and radioactive runoff fluids that were spewed and dumped carelessly. However, since RINGTEK was so cheap to produce, the majority of the population did not take notice that the land surrounding the city was gradually degrading into a wasteland due to the pollution; instead, they continued to consume without heed to the environment. They began to idolize Kintobor Power Inc., valuing them more than the current government. Slowly but surely, Kintobor Inc., with assurance from the people, started infiltrating other areas of governance, such as urban development, scientific research, public works, military and peace preservation until finally, the company assumed complete and total control of the city.

They then transformed the city itself, starting construction of a towering, upper structure above the villages, suspended by a massive central pillar and eight smaller pillars each supporting a plate. Like pieces of a pie, the eight plates circled around the central complex, where Kintobor Inc. headquarters was located. Powering this new, upper city were massive Energen Reactors and RINGTEK Manufacturing Plants, numbered to represent each plate. The new construction promised prosperity between the two races, a pinnacle of cooperation between Humans and Mobians after years of strife between the two. The president and current family head, Gerald Kintobor, was hailed as a hero.

And then he showed his true colours.

Once in power, Gerald pushed towards military rule, establishing a massive army which was supported by RINGTEK powered war machines. He then began the crackdowns, eliminating dissenters and rebels in the city who questioned his authority using the company's superior military strength. He ran policies that persecuted the majority of the Mobian race, favouring Overlanders over them and only serving to increase the existing tensions between the two races established generations ago. He instilled hefty, hidden taxes on those who would revolt, or otherwise held an opposing view of his rule. Those who could not pay those taxes and fines were captured and subjected to experimental testing in the R&amp;D labs high up in the headquarters located at the center of the massive city, where no one ever returned from. These experiments, coupled with further research into Energen and its applications into living beings, yielded the SOLDIER program: soldiers infused with pure Energen to greatly enhance their bodies for military purposes.

Using his newly created SOLDIER forces, the president then set his sights on the rest of the world, persuading the citizens in the other continents that RINGTEK and Energen would be for their benefit, while secretly crushing any and all opposition. Before long, all regions but the Dragon Kingdom of the West and the kingdom of Mobotropolis had a Reactor installed. The kingdoms were wary of the company's technology and its effect on the environment, and so they resisted Kintobor's advances as much as possible, to the point where a bloody war broke out between the two factions. Kintobor's vast army, combined with the efforts of their war machines and their unstoppable SOLDIER forces, decimated the capital city of the Mobian race, eliminated its royal family and conquered its tiny ally in the west, finally emerging as the single ruler of the world.

In Megaopolis, during the war, he sent the majority of the Mobian population and the poorest of Overlanders who were not recruited for duty back to the lower city, under the promise of new jobs. What he didn't tell them was that they would be exposed to a harsh, corrupted environment caused by air pollution and radioactive runoff funneled into the area from the Energen Reactors and RINGTEK Manufacturing Plants. Citizens from the upper plates were even encouraged to dump their waste to the bottom for the people there to manage. The jobs themselves were of minimal pay. The living conditions were dismal, due to the decrepit conditions of the villages. The taxes and fees were steep and the new residents were distraught, once they realized their painfully inescapable situation. The people above disdainfully deemed that living space "The Pits of Megaopolis," a hovel for those who were unworthy of living atop the plate.

And after the war, to show compassion for those who returned home from the battles, Kintobor Inc. introduced a brand-new technology to return missing limbs, heal the sick and elderly and repair critical wounds. This process was called Roboticization – partial or total conversion of organic life into a hardier, robotic form. For a time, the innovation was deemed a blessing for the citizens; no matter what happened to them, be it loss of limb, sickness or the ability to walk, Kintobor Inc. would swoop in and help with their wondrous scientific advancements.

However, in the end, that blessing turned into a curse. Gerald discovered the use of completely transforming individuals into mindless, robotic slaves. He began rounding up hordes of Mobians in the Pits, with the commitment to remove their ills caused by the rampant pollution in the lower city through the Roboticization process, and transformed them, completely robbing them of their free will. Deemed Robians, the president set them loose in the Pits to eliminate the vicious mutants and terrorize the denizens below, and in the Energen Reactors to act as guards against any interlopers either foolishly attempting to dig up company secrets or attempting to sabotage or destroy the reactors themselves as acts of terrorism.

Life in the Pits was hard for those living there. Facing incarceration or poverty at every turn, all they had left was a hope that things would get better.

* * *

The Sector 5 and 6 Pits were two of the most populated settlements in the lower city. It was one of the lucky few places left that had a playground suitable for children to enjoy, as well as church to practice worship. As time went on however, the army personnel in charge of protecting the community started to dwindle and rumours of fearsome Robians and mutants sighted around the paths leading to both places circled around. As a result, the residents started to frequent both places less, in fear of being attacked, leaving them to ruin and disrepair.

The now abandoned church located underneath the unfinished portions of the Sector 5 plate was once a beautiful building. It was now a crumbling ruin; the exterior was stained by the dirty air and the roof was full of holes, large and small. Inside, the floorboards and pews running from the large double doors to the altar were either rotting or destroyed. The stained windows were either shattered or caked with grime. The columns holding up the vaulted ceiling were cracking from age and the storage areas in the rafters above were covered with dust. It was not a suitable place to live in.

As dilapidated as it was, the spacious interior held something that many in the city would have called a miracle.

Flowers. Beautiful yellow and white flowers were growing out of a large, round patch beginning from the altar and leading two-thirds down towards the doors. Plants were a rare sight in Megaopolis, as the environment was hardly sufficient to grow anything. The plants at this church, however, were hardy and their caretaker even more so.

A female Mobian was kneeling in the patch, her dirt-coated, pale hands tending the flowers. She wore a white, form-fitting dress that went to the bottom of her shins, the edge of the dress tapering into points like flower petals, and a padded, short-sleeved green coat reaching just above her midriff, which she kept unopened. Around her waist was a worn, brown belt, which sat snugly above her hipbones. Inserted in the back of the belt was a retractable, metal guard staff, which she kept for protection. On her feet were leather walking boots, coated in dirt from years of gardening.

Her vibrant, green hair was tied up into a braid and held up by a pink ribbon. Her bangs framed her oval face and contrasted with her bright, turquoise eyes. She wore two red, rosebud ornaments on either side of her head. She had a gentle smile on her face as she cut dead leaves and tilled soil around her; the storm that passed just recently provided much needed nourishment for her garden and that made her feel content.

Then suddenly, a deep, cold chill ran down her back. She gasped loudly, rising up from her bent position as though she had been electrocuted. Her body went rigid like a rod and her eyes stretched wide like saucers. Her hands gripped the soil tightly as she felt like a ghost was passing through her body. It was a feeling that she felt only twice in her life and she knew exactly what this feeling meant.

Someone close to her had died.

She instantly brought her hand to her lips in shock. '_It can't be,_' she thought, ardently praying that whatever she dreaded wasn't true, that the sensation she felt was not related to death once again. _'He can't have died, can he?_'

She rose shakily, looking upward, past the rafters, through the holes in the roof and beyond the upper, incomplete parts of the Sector 5 plate towards the clearing sky above. The tempest that happened at least once a month had passed and the skies were returning to their normal, putrid state. The green-haired Mobian shuddered at the sight, an old fear rearing up through her body and a deep, cloying sadness creeping in her heart. '_Whatever happened must have occurred during the storm,_' she ruminated as she quickly brought her sight back down to her flowers.

Her knees buckled and she collapsed to the soft earth below her, tears shedding freely from her tightly shut eyes, her shoulders trembling in sorrow as she wept. She tried hard to keep in her sobs, clenching the soil beneath her hands in a rock-hard grip and gritting her teeth until they ached. It seemed like the flowers resonated with her; the petals and buds drooped downwards, as though they were mourning her loss.

It was some time until she calmed down. Breathing heavily, she eased herself into a sitting position, brushing stray strands from hair away from her face and running her arm against her tiny nose, sniffling. As she slowed her breath in an attempt to relax, her mind began to race. She knew that events would now unfold that would change Mobius forever. She was never sure of when the events would happen, or what her role would be in shaping the future, but she always knew that the catalyst would be someone very close to her.

She felt the roots of the plants closest to her wrap around her fingers in the dirt. She felt a bitter-sweet smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she watched the tendrils curl comfortingly around her digits. It was though her plants – nay, the very earth of Mobius itself – were comforting her and telling her that this had to happen and that she could not run away from her destiny any more. The Mobian brought her hand towards her neck, where a simple, red pendant hung. Clutching the red-amber adornment tightly in her fist, she resolved herself.

"It's time to face my future," she whispered to her garden.

* * *

The distinct scent of the air after a storm, mixed with the pungent odor of pollution.

The sounds of footsteps treading on cobbled streets, mixed with the loud whistle of a train engine.

The feeling of the warm, worn soles in leather boots; individual fibers mingling with callused pads;

These were just some of the tens of hundreds of sensations that were bombarding the two tailed fox, caused by his newly heightened senses. Everything was spinning his head; scents, sounds, shapes, textures and colours. All of these were overwhelming the Mobian and threatening to return him to his previous vegetative state. He was in an unfamiliar place and was slowly beginning to lose his sense of self. In his throes of agony, he saw memories of himself and of another Mobian as well. Sometimes, he saw the memories blur together into one, replacing the Mobian with himself. Even in his confusion, Tails wasn't even sure if those memories were even his at all to begin with.

And in the midst of his suffering, he heard a voice in his head speak out, in soft, dulcet tones. "_Wake up,_" it demanded, in as gentle a tone as possible.

Tails just groaned, gritting his teeth as the environment around him continued to batter his over-stimulated mind.

"_Wake up,_" the entity demanded, more forcefully than before.

The fox began thrashing around more, hissing as pain erupted from the center of his skull. There was a ringing in his ears; a high pitched, buzzing sound that increased in volume as time passed. He got to his knees, shaking his head violently.

"_WAKE UP!_" it shrieked in a pitch matching the tinnitus in Tails' ears.

The noise became almost unbearable to the vulpine, rising until that was all he could hear. He no longer heard the trains, no longer smelt the pollution around, nor did he even feel the stonework beneath his knees. All he could feel now was constant pain erupting from his mind. And then, as though struck by lightning, his body stiffened, eyes wide and his mouth opened in a silent scream before suddenly collapsing to the ground, breathing hard.

The entity spoke once again. "_You must fight this,_" it said, returning to its consoling tone. "Y_ou must be strong to face the coming challenges ahead. You must gain control of yourself._"

Tails' breathing slowed as he calmed down. He could still hear the ringing, but it was not as loud as before. He willed himself to listen to whatever the voice said, starting with his surroundings. He concentrated, trying to feel the ground beneath him as a whole, instead of the fibers on his clothes and the soles of his boots, the individual strands of fur touching it and the ground below. He focused on his hearing next, reining in his enhanced auditory senses to hear around him instead of miles away.

"_Good, good,_" the voice said, clearly pleased with the results. "_Just take it slowly._"

The fox then crawled blindly until he hit a wall, and pushed himself to a sitting position, before squinting open his eyes. He saw a dumpster in front of him. Training his eyes on that sight alone, he forced himself to ignore the minute details around him until he could no longer see them. He opened his eyes fully, looking around his surroundings.

He was sitting in an alleyway, between two run-down buildings. He was definitely not in the wilderness anymore, he was certain of that. In the distance, he could see people mulling about their own business. Tails looked on, trying to observe the details without overwhelming himself again. The ringing in his ears stopped.

"_Well now,_" the voice in his head commented, interrupting him. "_I suppose you've calmed down enough. Now let's start from the top: do you know who you are?_"

Tails' head craned upwards and then bobbed down to his chest before raising it up once more. His mind, now unburdened, was blank and full of fog. He kept bobbing his head in the same fashion until an answer came to him. "Tails," he replied in a whisper, his voice hoarse.

"_Tails?_" the entity spoke in his mind, amusedly. "_Odd name, how did you get it?_"

The vulpine's head continued to bob, his eyes filled with confusion, until he answered. "Nickname..." he said softly. "It's a nickname."

"_I see,_" the voice said. "_What's your real name then?_"

Tails' head movements stopped, pausing in thought. "...Forget," he said, his brow furrowing in confusion. He thought he could hear a sigh from the intangible presence in his mind.

"_Well then,_" it grumbled, clearly annoyed. " _Do you at least know where you are?_"

Tails brought his head back to look upwards. He saw no sky above him, only a ceiling high above him made of metal. Pipes, plates and cables crisscrossed with the steel beams. Looking back downwards and through the alleyway he was in, he could see in the distance a pair of large, 25 foot tall bay doors. In front of them, was a security checkpoint, guards either milling about or watching the citizens, going about their own business, for signs of hostility. He could hear nearby his position the sounds of a large engine; a train, he surmised. The fox furrowed his brows as he realized where he was, at last. "Megaopolis," he answered quietly.

"_Good,_" it said. "_Now, can you tell me how you got here?_"

Tails rested his head again on his chest, racking his brains as to the reason why he was in the great city. At first, the fog in his mind was impermeable and then he saw portions of it clearing, showing him visions of the past. He started to remember: leaving home, coming to the city, joining SOLDIER...

The fox blinked at that particular memory. _'I joined SOLDIER?_' he questioned, puzzled. The memories continued: rising up the ranks until he reached First Class and gaining the respect of his comrades. His first mission as a First Class – to return to his hometown to investigate the Energen Reactor located high up the in the mountains. His partner for the mission was the legendary soldier...

'_Nazo,_' Tails frowned at the mention of that particular name. Nazo could only be described as a force of nature itself; an unstoppable being of near-godlike ability. He was a hedgehog, taller than most Mobians, with long, silver spines that pointed upwards as opposed to sloping down. He donned an unopened black overcoat, pure white pauldrons adorning the shoulders, and a pair of black leather pants, gloves and combat boots. Adoring his light beige muzzle, his lips were curled into a cruel smile. His eyes glowed pale green, his pupils were in slits as opposed to round like other Mobians. In his hand was the blade that made him legendary – a six foot long katana, which only he could handle. His very presence radiated an otherworldly power unlike anything ever seen on the planet.

He started to remember exactly what happened on that mission: how Nazo discovered the truth of himself, went insane and declared war on the world by burning down his home. How he tried to take him down afterwards by himself. He couldn't remember if he had succeeded or not, his memories after that moment became very hazy. '_But I survived, didn't I?_' he thought, a slight smile on his face. '_This all has to be true then. Joining SOLDIER, the mission back home... all of it has to be true. I must have gotten away after Nazo disappeared and smuggled myself back to the city... but why am I back?_'

He rested his head against the brick wall, piercing eyes peering out towards the bay doors as he tried to remember once more. He winced slightly as he heard a klaxon go off, indicating the doors were opening. As he watched, he could feel a word appearing in the back of his mind. "A mercenary?" he asked himself, questionably. His eyes suddenly widened as he remembered the significance of the word he uttered. '_That's right,_' he thought, his whole body tingling with excitement. '_After I survived that fight, I decided I had enough with Kintobor. I would go back to the city and start a new life as a mercenary for hire. Big jobs, little jobs, anything for the right price._'

Satisfied, he let himself relax. He saw his sword nearby on the ground, close enough to reach with a hand. Tails leaned over and clutched the sword, embracing the familiar and comforting feeling of the broad blade's hilt. Settling himself against the wall once more, he replayed his memories while watching the crowds emerge from the security checkpoint.

He could feel the voice's mysterious presence in his head after some time passed, speaking to him. "_So,"_ it said to the resting fox. "_Do you remember your name yet?_"

The two-tailed fox-swordsman nodded with confidence. "My name is Miles 'Tails' Prower," he answered in a low, but powerful voice. "Former SOLDIER, First Class."

* * *

The plates for Sectors 5 and 7 were the last two areas remaining to be finished before the city itself could be declared completely constructed. Once finished, the plates would completely block out the sky and enshroud the Pits in darkness, with only the large, artificial sunshine lamps sparsely installed on the plate undersides as a source of light. Until that time came however, the residents made efforts to look through the exposed plate to the bared sky as much as they could before they were sealed up permanently.

As the bay doors between Sector's 6 and 7 opened up for residents to cross between them, once such Mobian craned her head upwards as she approached the security checkpoint leading into Sector 7. She watched through an opening in the ceiling as the clouds above the haze cleared up, erasing the evidence of a storm passing through.

She was a rabbit with cream-coloured fur, brown patches framing her soft hazel eyes and the tips of her long ears. Her long hair, cascading down her back to her waist and tied at the very bottom with a black elastic band, was slightly off-white with streaks of chocolate brown. At 20 years of age, her oval shaped face exuded beauty; her eyes were almond shaped, her nose small and cute, her lips full and her cheeks and chin were elegantly shaped. She wore no makeup, save for lip balm to prevent chapping. She wore a black, form-fitting overcoat that went down to her knees, exposing toned calves. On her hands were a pair of thick leather gloves and her feet were covered in sturdy, brown leather ankle boots. On one hand, she held an umbrella, unneeded now that the storm passed while shopping in Sector 6. The other held the fruits of her shopping endeavor; a large brown bag filled to the brim with groceries and a few bottles of alcohol, and a dress fit for a young girl. The bag itself was heavy, but she held it aloft effortlessly, it resting on her arm.

As she handed over an ID card to a guard for security clearance, she heard shuffling from behind. Angling her head slightly so she could look behind her from the corner of her eye, she saw a male raccoon, murky eyes leering at her. He wore a blue vest and a pair of faded, ripped jeans with black boots. From the way he was staring at her and shuffling around, his hands deep in his pockets, fingers fiddling around, she could tell that he was in lust with her.

She sighed deeply, shaking her head. _'It's always the same with these creeps,_' she thought, her body tensing up, muscles in her arms and legs coiling. '_They just never learn._'

The raccoon grinned leeringly at the beauty in front of him. He was going to have his way with her, whether she wanted it or not. '_But not here,_' he thought, as he noticed the guards. In his desires for the female in front of him, he'd forgotten where he was. Moving up the queue, he approached another guard, handing over his ID. _'I'll wait til we pass the checkpoint and then, she'll be mine!_' he declared, grinning savagely.

As the guards verified the ID's, the rabbit kept an eye trained on the lech beside her. Quickly sizing him up, she exhaled an irritated breath. '_You know,_' thinking to herself, annoyance etched in her face at the scrawny thing beside her. '_As much as I hate when these things happen, I kinda wish I had a bit of a challenge... I feel like my skills are getting rusty._' The guard handed over the ID card, impatience in his eyes. The lapin gave a rueful smile, taking the card and walking through the barrier. She could sense that her stalker was watching her. She spotted an alleyway between two run-down buildings. It ran deep and was dim enough that the guards wouldn't see her. _'Perfect,_' she thought as she walked calmly into the back street, making sure that the raccoon was following.

Sure enough, the lusting individual followed her, his eyes drunk from the sight of the beauty in front of him. "I have you now sugar," he cackled, licking his lips as though he was going to enjoy a tasty snack, gazing hungrily at her model-like figure. "Make this easy on yourself and don't struggle, I promise I won't hurt you. '_Much,_' he added in his mind, gleefully as he stepped forward slowly.

The lapin set the grocery bag down beside her, back still facing her assailant. She collected herself, breathing shallowly but calmly. Tensing up her muscles, she waited.

Step...

'_Not yet,_' she thought, balling her hands into fists slowly.

Step...

'_Not yet,_' she felt a little sympathy for the foolish Mobian. He had absolutely no idea what he was up against. Despite her gorgeous looks, she had one secret that threw each and every one of her would-be aggressors for a loop.

She was an expert martial artist.

Step...

'_Now.'_ Quickly lifting her left knee, she pivoted with the right, twisting her body at the same time. Using the momentum from the twist, she extended her left leg outward towards the racoon's jaw, executing a reverse side kick. Her foot collided critically with the raccoon's face, breaking several teeth and his nose before he could react. The rabbit then faced towards the injured individual, her hands up and feet placed in a traditional fighter's stance, her eyes blazing.

The raccoon stumbled backwards and fell hard on his behind, looking fearfully at the vicious being in front of him. He scrambled back up to his feet and fled from the alleyway, whimpering in pain.

Keeping her eyes trained on the retreating figure, the female relaxed, her arms dropping back to her sides. Looking down, she saw that the buttons of her tight jacket popped off, most likely during the spin. Underneath it, she wore a white, form-fitting tank-top which was cropped at her midriff, exposing her taut abdomen. Going from her waist to just above her knees was a protective leather skirt, held up by black suspenders. "Jessie's going to kill me," she mumbled, sighing in frustration. "This was her favourite jacket. Oh well..."

Suddenly, the hairs on the nape of her neck stood up on end. Her fighting instincts kicked in; she felt like she was being watched. She spun around, arms back up and her fists curled. "Who's there?!" She called out, eyes narrowed and flicking to and fro. "Show yourself!"

Her eyes trailed the alleyway, until they landed on a pair of electric blue eyes at the end of the alley, near a green dumpster. She edged forwards cautiously until she was just in front of the figure, sitting on the ground with its back to the wall, features obscured by the dim lighting. It's head craned upwards, eyes zeroing in on the female in front of her and widening in realization of who she was.

"Cream Rabbit, we meet again," it said softly.

The rabbit's jaw dropped. '_That voice, it can't be..._' she thought alarmingly. Hastily fishing her hand down a pocket on the jacket she wore, she produced a small flashlight. Clicking it on and shining it down on the figure in front of her, her lips broke out into an enormous grin at the sight of familiar orange and white fur and two, identical tails. "Oh my Goddess, Miles Prower, it really is you!" she cried out in jubilation.

"Yep, it's me alright," he replied, smiling, his eyes squinting from the bright light.

Kneeling down, she placed the flashlight on the ground and observed the male in front of her. He was thin, yet muscular, wearing a uniform that she'd only seen once in her life. Forcing herself not to clench in her fists on reflex, she looked away from it and towards his face. He looked very tired. "How long has it been since we last saw each other?" she asked, searching his vividly coloured eyes. _'They've never been this blue before..._' she mused. '_Why is that?_'

Tails placed a hand on his head, massaging it. He felt a sharp, stabbing pain on the side of his head. Shaking it off, he replied, "Well, it's been five years since we last met, remember?"

The fighter did a double take. '_What the heck is he talking about?!_' her mind raced, despite her outward calm. _'It's been seven years since we last saw each other... I even said goodbye to him when he left home... Maybe he's just not thinking straight, he looks really exhausted. I'll play along, he's just kidding around I bet?_'

"Uh, yeah... five year's right? Time flies," she replied, hesitant. "What have you been up to since then?"

"Well, a lot has happened," Tails answered, not noticing the hesitation in her voice. "After the incident back home, I decided working with Kintobor was too much. I mean, that asshole Nazo killed everyone we cared about. So I said 'Forget this, I'm out of here. I'm done with SOLDIER.' Now, I'm a mercenary for hire. Any job for the right price."

Cream's eyes widened with every moment the fox talked. '_He's not himself,'_ She speculated, repeating what he said in her head. '_How does he know what happened in Knothole, when he wasn't even there in the first place? And SOLDIER? I never knew he was in SOLDIER... Something is very, very wrong here.'_

"Miles," she spoke suddenly. "Do you have a place to stay?"

The fox jumped slightly, caught off guard. "No, why?" he questioned.

"Well, I got my own place down here in Sector 7," she said, a hand unconsciously stroking one of her long ears. "It's a bar, I own it. If you want to, you can stay there as long as you like."

Tails grinned widely. "Really?" he exclaimed. "You'd do that?"

"Yeah, of course," she answered back. "I can even get you a job too actually. I have a group living in my bar right now that could use a mercenary like you." '_I can't believe I'm doing this..._' Cream mused as she spoke of the company she kept in her bar. '_But I'm not sure what the alternative would be..._'

"Hmm, TORNADO huh?" Tails questioned after Cream finished explaining. He slowly rose from his spot using the wall as a support. "An anti-Kintobor organization. Sounds right up my alley." As he got up, he picked up his sword on the ground, placing it on the metal disc on his back.

Cream's eyes narrowed, watching Tails rise up. '_That sword looks familiar,_' she pondered, staring at the enormous blade now attached to the vulpine's back_._ '_I know I've seen it before, but... I can't remember from where?'_ The rabbit ran a finger along the left side of her head, near the base of her ear, touching a long, jagged scar. '_I remember a doctor here in the Pits saying to me that this injury, coupled with the shock of losing my home and my abdomen being cut open, could possibly jumble up my memories of what really happened all those years ago. So, maybe Miles really was in SOLDIER, and I just couldn't remember?' _

'_Still, I have a feeling in my gut that Miles is not himself; he looks different, talks different and even acts different,_' she reflected, seeing the two-tailed fox rub his head once more, hissing in pain. _'It's like he's another person. To add to that, he looks so exhausted and in a lot of pain... Perhaps something happened to him between now and five years ago that warranted this suffering? At this point, I feel like it's dangerous for him to be on his own. I have to keep an eye on him, find out what's wrong with him... and find out what this all means._'

"Well then, come on Miles, follow me," she said, rising up herself and going back to the bag she placed on the ground.

"Tails."

"W-What?" the rabbit exclaimed, twisting her body back to the swordsman.

"Tails," the fox repeated. "Call me that from now on."

Cream blinked. "Oh, OK then," she replied, turning back and picking up the brown bag. _'So now he wants to be called Tails?'_ she questioned, narrowing her eyes once more in thought. _'I guess it's obvious why.'_

"Hey Cream, we heading to your place yet?" Tails said, walking up beside her.

Cream jumped, snapping back to reality. Adjusting the bag in her hand, she quickly walked back to the main street. "Let's go Tails," she called as she walked.

The two-tailed fox smirked softly to himself. _'She never changed,_' he reflected, watching the brawling beauty in front of him. Shaking his head, he followed suit, his movements sluggish, but steadily improving.

"Things are looking up," he whispered to himself, smiling as he followed his friend deeper into the Sector 7 Pits.

* * *

A/N: That's that. R &amp; R, let me know how it is and please, constructive criticism is always and greatly appreciated. See you (hopefully!) next month!


	3. Prelude

A/N: Here's Chapter 3. Sorry it's (really) late... I'll try to update sooner next time.

* * *

Chapter 3: Prelude

_Three weeks later..._

Silver and gold particles floated up from a broken Energen bypass pipe in a backstreet on the Sector 8 plate. The glowing material illuminated a figure – a woman – looking deeply at the pipe's fissure, watching them float upwards and disperse into nothingness. She placed her pale hand close to the pipe, almost touching it.

She could see the flecks of white and yellow intermingle with each other, swirling about her like fireflies in the night sky and then, almost gradually, she could hear a familiar sound emanating directly from the particles itself, intensifying as time passed. They were screams of agony, pain and suffering, as if something or someone was crying out for any sort of release from the torment being endured at that very moment.

Knitting her brows, the woman attempted to communicate. "Hello," she spoke softly in soothing tones, not wanting to be overheard. "I'm back. Sorry I haven't been this way for a while. I've... had some things to deal with these past couple of weeks, that's all. But everything will be OK, I'm here now. I'll listen."

Tucking away a stray strand of green hair behind her ear, she kneeled down into a more comfortable position and continued to watch the sparks float about, barely focusing on them. After a few moments, she closed her eyes, her mind drifting off and recalling everything that happened in the past few weeks.

'_Mom was worried about me,_' she reflected, breathing deeply. '_I should've told her he died, but I didn't want to hear her say "I told you so,"... Business hasn't been good either; the flowers aren't selling as well as before... probably because I'm moping so much at the moment. And to top things off, since that time in the church, I haven't heard or felt anything unnatural. All I hear is the usual stuff; screams, wails of torture. No chills down my back, no sudden feeling like I'm being electrocuted or watched. I even went to my usual haunts around the city, thinking a different place will trigger something... but nothing?_'

As she continued her musings, she didn't notice that the anguished cries emanating from the fissured metal in front of her had gone silent. Her thoughts were then interrupted by a booming echo of a voice inside her head.

"COSMO, OBSERVE," it commanded, sounding like the amalgamation of different voices, male, female and otherwise.

Startled, the Mobian named Cosmo opened her eyes to look at the cracked pipe. Her eyes widened into saucers at the sight in front of her. The particulate matter stopped rising and hovered still in front of her face. And then it started to swirl and twist in front of her, shapes and even words forming in the chaos.

Cosmo watched as the matter danced around, her fingers trembling and pupils dilating. She felt that same cold feeling she felt back in the church, creeping down her back and paralyzing her in place. She was rapidly deducing the meanings of the movements in front of her, sensing that whatever message was being shown, she was the only one could understand it.

The images moved faster and faster, until they stopped. The matter started floating upwards and, once again, Cosmo could hear the sounds of screaming. It was as if the events that had transpired moments ago never happened...

The green-haired flower girl rose to her feet, the chills that were running down her body vanishing. Her breath was ragged and her bottom lip started to quiver; she placed an equally trembling hand on it, willing it to be still. She calmed herself, bringing her breathing back to normal, before picking up a worn, woven basket full of fresh, cut flowers she had brought with her. She walked away from the pipe, turned a corner and emerged into the entertainment district of Sector 8.

It was the busiest area of Megaopolis, consisting of numerous nightclubs, bars, shopping malls and specialty stores. On the left side where Cosmo emerged was the Sector's biggest draw; a massive, elegant theater, showcasing award-winning plays and shows for all walks of life. The flower girl put a smile on her face as the doors leading into the theater opened, releasing its latest crowd for the city's enduring classical play, "Loveless." She knew that some of the crowds would eventually walk towards her direction.

It was, after all, the place where she made the most amount of money selling flowers.

She watched as a particularly large throng of Mobians and Overlanders made their way to her. Her favourite customers were couples; cajoling the boyfriends or husbands to buy flowers for their lovers was an endearing pastime for her. It was one of the things that made doing this worthwhile to her.

Today however, she felt tense and agitated. Her smiles felt forced, never matching their usual brightness. She kept looking around in multiple directions, sometimes ignoring potentially loaded clients as she scanned the groups around her, looking for something specific. All the while repeating the same words she barely translated from the patterns she was shown at the leaking Energen pipe:

_'_Stay... crowds... part… Chaos... fox... One with two... guide... Find... Truth...'

Repeating those words like a mantra, she stayed, waiting for the inevitable meeting to occur.

* * *

Wind ruffling through his fur as the passenger train he crouched on sped towards the Sector 1 station, Miles "Tails" Prower, Ex-SOLDIER and newly minted mercenary for hire, reviewed the details of his first big gig in his mind.

'_So, all I'm doing is playing hired muscle for these goons while they try to break into and destroy one of Kintobor's Energen Reactors, huh?_' he mused, smirking. _'This'll be a piece of cake._'

To his left and right, Tails could only see glimpses of industrial scenery as the train they were on continued towards its destination. Craning his neck forward and fighting the wind resistance, he looked ahead to see a second, bulkier figure crouching down a few cars ahead of him, the dim, intermittent lighting obscuring its features.

Feeling that he was being watched, the figure's head turned sharply behind him, reddish-brown eyes glaring darkly at the fox. Tails met his gaze for a few beats, raised an eyebrow and then shrugged and looked sideways at the passing scenery.

As he watched the concrete and metallic structures pass by him, Tails recalled the first time he met the figure in front of him…

* * *

The Sector 7 Pits, along with the sprawling Wall Market in Sector 6, were the two most popular destinations in the lower world of Megaopolis. Scores of Mobians and Overlanders living in the slums would make their way to these havens of relief after an exhausting day full of menial work.

The Wall Market attracted any and all kinds of individuals imaginable: shoppers, looking for bargains, would buy cheap knockoffs that were half the price of the luxury items sold up on the plate above, but broke twice as fast. Criminals, thieves and the like hung around the isolated nooks around the slum, waiting for unsuspecting victims to terrorize. Hulking muscle-heads hung around the gym complex, a large tent filled with weight lifting equipment, mirrors and a boxing ring. There was even something for the sex-addled; love hotels dotted the streets next to cheap eats, karaoke bars, pharmacies and convenience stores. It was truly a place where anything and everything can be found, for the right price.

Unlike Sector 6, Sector 7 offered a different experience. The residential district was small in size, but it was the local bar and grille that made it a popular destination.

The building, a medium sized, two storey complex, was constructed with wood, making it distinctive amongst the shoddy, brick and mortar structures and sheet metal constructs dotted around the district. The entrance consisted of two, double-hinged saloon doors, giving it an authentic, Old West feel. Inside was seating available for up to fifty at a time, though the number of patrons in the bar at any time greatly exceeded that capacity on a daily basis. The bar area consisted of a simple, slightly rough, counter top with a flip-up portion. Behind the counter were shelves stocked up with copious amounts of alcohol, obtained from many regions of Mobius. A swivel door at the far end of the counter led to a small kitchen consisting of a sink, a six-burner stove and oven and a medium-sized fridge and freezer.

This simple bar, nestled in the pockets of the Sector 7 Pits was called Vanilla's Haven, and was made famous for two things: the delicious, mouth-watering food and drink and the gorgeous, big-hearted, optimistic, sweet and gentle barmaid serving it.

That very same barmaid was the one that Tails followed, having been offered a place to stay. _'I'm lucky,_' he thought to himself as they walked through an alleyway leading to the bar's rear entrance. _'Running into my childhood friend and to have a job and a place to stay? Maybe the Goddess is really looking out for me?_'

They soon found themselves in front of a steel door with two locks leading into the building. Chewing her lip, Cream shifted her grocery bag to her other hand and started fishing for keys in her jacket pocket. She hadn't noticed the time; Happy hour was due to start soon, and her meeting with 'Tails' – her nose wrinkled at the thought of that name, she much preferred 'Miles' – took up much of her time.

'_I have to make sure he's inside and out of sight until after today's rush,_' she thought as she produced the keys from her pocket. '_Once things die down, I'll bring him in and introduce him, tell them Tails' story and how he's interested in working with them.'_

She picked out a key from the key ring and inserted it into the first lock. As she twisted it, hearing the tumblers fall into place, her thoughts continued. '_I just hope that Bark hasn't spotted me –'_

"Hey! Cream!" A deep, rough voice boomed out from behind her, at the entrance to the alleyway. "Is that you?"

The rabbit jumped in shock, almost dropping the bag of items she held. "Oh crud," she muttered to herself as she looked to Tails, who produced a perplexed stare in return.

Letting out a frustrated breath, she called out to the voice. "Yeah Bark! It's me!" she hollered, praying to the Goddess that he didn't notice her companion.

"Oh, OK," she heard in response. Relief swam through the rabbit's body, but it was only temporary as the voice returned. "Waitaminute! Who was that guy following you to the back? And why're you going in through there? Also, Happy Hour is in an hour, aren't you supposed to be ready by now?"

'_Crap,_' she thought, panicking. '_He noticed._' "Um, well Bark," she said, sheepishly. "The thing is… it's a bit… complicated?"

"What the hell?" she heard him grumble loudly. "Ok, now you got me curious, I'm coming over there!"

Cream's eyes widened as she heard footsteps lumbering towards her. She fumbled with the second lock, shakily inserting the key and unlocking it. Before she could open the door and usher Tails in, the Mobian called 'Bark' arrived.

He was a massive polar bear with coarse, yellow-white fur. He wore a worn, brown leather vest, opened to expose his broad, barrel chest. On his legs were baggy, green war fatigue trousers and jet-black combat boots. Around his waist and covering his abdominal area was a large steel band, with ribbons of ammunition wrapped around it. His massive left hand was covered with a simple, fingerless leather glove, while his right arm, from the elbow down was missing and was replaced with an unusual prosthetic; a stout, metallic cylindrical weapon with six, snub-nosed barrels. Known as a Gun-Arm, the weapon was directly melded to his arm and connected to his nervous system, allowing for total control of the weapon. The ammunition wrapped around the metal band on his waist fed into the peculiar weapon.

His piercing, reddish-brown eyes swept the scene in front of him, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. He readjusted the red and white ball cap on his head and rubbed his snout as he addressed the rabbit. "Cream, what the heck's going on here?" he asked, perplexed. "You're running late, you're jacket button's are ripped off, and to top it all off, you bring home a weird stranger? Who is this guy anyway?" he gestured towards the two-tailed fox.

Cream let out an exasperated sigh. "Well," she began her explanation in a flippant tone, sweeping a stray strand of ivory hair away from her face, "Some creep was following me home from Sector 6 and looking to try something. So I lured him into an alleyway and made him think very hard about his life choices." She glanced at Tails, before continuing her story. "And then, by a strange coincidence, I run into one of my oldest friends from back in my village."

Aside, she voiced out in her mind. '_I was going to introduce you to him later tonight, when things got less busy, but…_' she trailed off, as she watched the expression on the bear's muzzle shift from suspicious to curious. Feeling brave and hoping that Bark wouldn't cause too much trouble, she continued. "His name's Tails. He works as a mercenary."

Bark's eyebrows shot up at the mention of his title. Eyeing the smaller vulpine, he sniggered and then suddenly burst out laughing. "A merc?" he replied, in between gruff chuckles. "Him? Ah hah hah, that I can't believe!" He turned his back to the fox, who was glowering dangerously at the one-armed bear.

The bear continued, grinning at Cream. "I mean, look at him Cream, even the SWORD'S bigger than him!" he howled mirthfully, tears streaming from his eyes. After a while, he calmed down, wiping his eyes. "I refuse to believe that he's a mercenary, I mean he's so-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Bark felt sharp, cold steel against his throat. Surprised, he gazed downwards to see the broad edge of Tails' Buster Sword lightly touching his neck. If he so much as twitched, his head would have flown off. He looked past the weapon to see its wielder, glowing eyes glaring menacingly at him.

"Finish that sentence," Tails dared the larger Mobian in a quiet, commanding tone. Despite his current exhaustion, he held the blade levelly. He steeled his eyes, waiting for any sudden movements from the one-armed Mobian in front of him.

Bark tried not to gulp as he felt the edge against his jugular. As he nervously looked at the electric blue irises belonging to the shorter swordsman in front of him, a thought came to his mind. _'Those eyes,_' he realized, his own narrowing in anger. _'I know those eyes from anywhere; those are SOLDIER eyes. What the hell have you done, Cream?_'

The same subject of his thoughts tentatively extended her hand towards Tails and placed it gently on his shoulder. "Tails, please stop?" she asked, concern etched in her eyes.

The two tailed fox cast a sidelong glance to his old friend, snorted, and then eased off, removing the blade from the polar bear's neck and sheathing it.

"Hmph, you're pretty good, aren't you," Bark said, rubbing his throat. "But then again, it's not every day that a member of Kintobor's special police force poses as a mercenary to infiltrate my group! There's no way I'll let you live to tell your SOLDIER buddies back at Kintobor! And Cream, how could you do this to us?" he mentioned to the rabbit beside him. "How could you let the enemy come to our base?" Turning his head back towards the fox, he raised his gun-arm, pointing it and tensing his arm muscles, as if he would have squeeze something in his fist, if it was still there.

Before Tails could even draw his sword again, Cream stepped in between them. "STOP IT!" she shouted.

Bark yelled in surprise and pointed his arm away from Cream towards a pile of trash on the wall opposite to the bar's back entrance. His arm still tensed, bullets spewed out from the weapon at a rapid rate, the cylindrical portion rotating with each shot fired. The projectiles tore through the refuse, shredding it into pieces and leaving bullet holes in the wall behind it. The gunner relaxed, stopping the flow of bullets and turned his head towards the rabbit in fury.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "I could have shot you just now! Are you out of your mind?!"

"No, you're out of your mind!" Cream retorted, equally angry at the ursine's declarations. "You honestly think I'd bring Kintobor to our base, which, for your information, is also MY home?! Which I've had the good grace to let you stay in, by the way? You seriously have some nerve! And one other thing you should know too," she jabbed a finger towards Tails. "HE left the army five years ago, when they burnt down our hometown! He's on our side!" She then fell silent for a moment, calming herself down before continuing. "I've already told him what we do and what we're planning, and he's agreed to help us." she said to Bark, annoyance still in her tone. "I wanted to introduce you later tonight after the rush, where I would have introduced you to him, explained to you his circumstances and everything, but I screwed up on that front, OK?"

The polar bear's hardened gaze faltered at her words. If it was anyone else, he would have ignored them, shoved them aside and resumed fighting. But Cream was different; her level head and sharp intuition led him to trust her words far more than any other in his group. Staring at Tails for a few more beats, he snorted and lowered his weapon, facing his ally. "Fine, he can stay," he said harshly to the rabbit. "If he's your 'friend' like you say, then I got no problems." He then turned back towards the swordsman, glaring darkly at him. "But listen you," he spat, teeth bared in dislike. "If you make any moves or do anything that exposes you for the traitorous son of a bitch that you are, I'll do that -" he pointed to the destroyed heap of garbage. "- To you. Are we clear?"

Tails returned the glare, his namesakes rising in a threatening manner. "Crystal," he replied acidly.

After a few moments of tense silence, the one-armed Mobian jerked his head, motioning for the SOLDIER to get out of here.

Sighing in relief that the fighting was over and done with, Cream called out to Tails. "Once you enter, go up the stairwell on the left and head for the room down the hallway," she said. "There's a bed in there for you to sleep on. You should get some rest, you look exhausted."

Tails nodded and then made his way to the entrance, his stoic face masking his aggravation at the bear. _'If this is how he acts before missions, I'd hate to see him in action,_' the twin-tailed Mobian reflected as he opened the door. _'That hot head of his is gonna get him killed._'

"Oh and one more thing," the female said before he entered. "Once you rest, we'll start talking about the mission… and your payment, should you accept it of course." The words left a bitter taste in her mouth as she said them. She then looked at Bark, addressing him sharply. "When's the mission starting?"

Bark was taken aback by her tone, but recovered quickly. "Three weeks time," he replied, training his eyes on Cream instead of the SOLDIER.

Tails looked at his would-be employers. "Fine," he replied without expression, walking inside and upstairs as he spoke.

As soon as her friend entered the bar, Cream rounded on her teammate. "Bark, what the hell-," she started, but stopped when the bear raised his hand, motioning her to stay silent.

"Hold on," he whispered. "Wait a moment."

After a few minutes, he dropped his arm and faced her, a sigh of relief escaping from his snout. "Keep your voice down," he continued in hushed tones, removing his cap and running his only hand through the thick forest of hair underneath it, before replacing it on his head. "We can't let him hear us. Now, what are we gonna do about this? I can't believe you brought him…" he trailed off, shoulders slumping. "Gah, this is all screwed up."

"Bark," Cream started, fingers pinching the bridge between her eyes. "I know this might look bad, but I trust him. He would never turn us in. Besides," she opened her eyes and looked into the bear's own reddish-brown orbs. "If you're serious about going through with this, I'd feel more comfortable knowing that he's got your back, as well as the others. He'll be a great asset to the mission, since he's worked with them before and all. Plus he's strong and fast – you saw for yourself, didn't you?"

Bark rubbed the spot on his neck where the shorter warrior's blade once laid. "Yeah, I admit, he's good," he responded grudgingly. "But, are you really sure you trust him?" he said, looking not at her, but at her ear, hiding the scar behind her head.

"Of course!" She said hotly, knowing what he was talking about. "You really think my memory's that messed up?!"

"No, no, It's… That's not what I mean," the bear stumbled, arms raised in a defensive, placating manner. "I'm… I'm just worried about you, that's all. But seriously though, he's damn good, I have to agree with you on that."

"Right," Cream continued, flashing a small, but brightening smile, thankful for the change in subject. "See, if we're going to take down Kintobor and save Mobius, he's our best bet to do so. Please, won't you just consider that, at least?"

Bark listened to her words, processing them carefully and then let out a weary groan. "Fine, you win, I'll consider it," he conceded. "I just don't trust him, that's all." At that he started walking away towards the front entrance to the bar. Just before he started walking up the alleyway, he turned around, a sheepish look on his muzzle. "Um, Cream?" he said, hesitating. "I'm… Well, I'm…"

The rabbit fighter shook her head. "Bark, it's OK," she replied, smiling once again. "I forgive you."

Bark returned the grin. "Well then, you better get going, you got a bar to open, don't cha?" he responded, turning back around and bounding down the alleyway to the front.

Satisfied, Cream took up her groceries and entered the bar. Just as she entered and looked up the stairwell though, she swore she could see wisps of white fur escaping her vision from the doorway on the second level. Her hand automatically rose to the back of her neck, fingering the jagged line on the back of her head as she realized what just happened.

'_He heard it all._'

* * *

"Attention, attention. The train to Sector 1 – Upper Plate has arrived at its final destination. All passengers please gather your belongings before exiting the cars. Thank you for riding the Megaopolis Railway Express brought to you by the Kintobor Power Incorporation."

As the automated intercom voice spoke, Tails snapped out of his reprieve. The figure in front of him – Bark – started yelling out orders to his three subordinates.

"Alright guys, this is it," he roared loudly, his voice almost drowned out by the rushing wind. "When security notices no one coming out of the train cars, take them out and head for the reactor entrance across the street. Security should be pretty lax tonight thanks to our efforts in the last few weeks, so let's not waste this opportunity!"

Tails heard affirmations from the other three members of the team. He nodded to Bark when he looked back at him, glaring at the swordsman once again. Once he turned around, Tails gritted his teeth. '_Just because he gave me a job, doesn't mean I should like him,_' he thought to himself. '_Finishing this job will make getting new work with other like-minded individuals a helluva lot easier, due to the notoriety of the situation. Once it's done and I get my pay, I'm out of here._'

The two security personnel on the platform, a grey feline and an Overlander, stood near the platform edge, bored out of their minds as the last train arrived at the station, signaling the end of their shift. Each wore the standard Kintobor Army uniform: Blue jumpsuits with protective coverings around the vital organs to reduce fatal injuries, polished black steel-toed boots and a belt holding a twenty inch baton and a 9mm sidearm. A helmet equipped with a visor to protect the eyes completed the look. On the shoulders, they wore a patch with the letters KPI in stylized writing.

The train started slowing down, automated systems activating the braking mechanisms upon entry to the station and coming to a complete stop right up to the wall, denoting the end of the line.

"Hey Jim," the Mobian spoke out to the Overlander as the train came to a complete stop, the engine hissing. "Ever wish something exciting would happen?"

"Yeah, I know Sam, it's a boring job, but somebody's gotta do it," Jim responded as the doors opened to let out passengers. "Hey, let's go for drinks after our shift, my treat tonight."

"Sounds good to me," Sam the guard responded, smiling. He turned his head towards the doors, expecting the few, familiar people and Mobians to exit the train as they do at this time every night.

However, no one came out.

Puzzled, Sam drew his baton and walked inside the car slowly to investigate, while Jim stayed outside, rifle raised and cocked. '_Be careful what you wish for,_' he mused as he watched his partner enter the car. "See anything?" he called out.

"Negative, it's just empty," the Mobian responded. "Which is weird, why - what the! Hey you! ACK!"

"Sam, Sam! What's going on!?" Jim cried, pointing the rifle at the car entrance. Suddenly he watched as his partner was thrown out of the car, landing hard on the platform, unconscious. Arms shaking, the Overlander made his way to the car. "You in the car! Come out with your hands up!" he shouted.

Before he could make it to the entrance, a woman rushed out from her hiding spot between the engine and the first car and promptly delivered a hard kick to the guard's side. Taken by surprise, he fell to the floor, dropping his rifle as he did so. He scrabbled around for his radio, flicking the switch to turn it on when a black boot descended on his head, knocking him out.

The owner of the boot, a raven-haired man dressed in a black tank top and jeans waltzed out. Tugging at the red bandanna around his head, his brown eyes swept around the platform, landing on the woman next to him. "Nice kick Jess," he whistled, voice full of mirth.

The brunette – Jessie – tucked a stray strand of wavy hair back and away from her pale face. She wore a grey shirt with the sleeves rolled up and blue jeans held up with red suspenders. On her feet were comfortable brown shoes and on her back was a large satchel containing instruments used for hacking, additional ammunition, healing items and the bombs she designed specifically for the reactor. She was TORNADO's lead computer and weapons expert. Her hazel eyes regarded her teammate beside her. "Thanks Biggs," she responded, giving him a small smile.

Turning away from him, she called out, "Wedge! Boss! Coast is clear!"

A shorter, portly man appeared from the same car where Biggs exited. He wore a red baseball cap, like his leader, a faded, mustard-coloured shirt and blue overalls with red sneakers. Clutching a stitch in his chest he panted, out of breath. "Phew… I'm glad that's all over," he said in a nasally tone.

"Tch, Wedge, stop being such a wuss," Biggs retorted jokingly, a wild smile on his face. He moved towards the platform exit leading to the streets and to the reactor entrance. "I'll do recon and check if the coast's clear," he said, all business. "Once I give the signal, Jess can come up to hack into the system and gain us access. Wedge, you and I are on lookout duty."

Biggs ascended the stairwell and peeked out. Seeing no signs of life around – as expected – he whistled, giving the signal for the other two to come up.

Bark strode out from his hiding place on the train car as the other two Overlanders ran upstairs. Turning around, he looked up to the top of the train and motioned to the figure crouched on top with his Gun-Arm, beckoning him to come down.

Tails leapt off the train, executing a one-handed flip from the top and landed neatly in a kneeled position, his namesakes swishing about. His piercing, electric blue eyes looked at the bear, who was clearly not amused at his flourish.

"C'mon newcomer, follow me," Bark growled, gritting his teeth at the show-off. He spun around and bounded up the exit.

Tails rose from his kneeling position and cracked his knuckles and his neck in anticipation. Before he could take step to follow the TORNADO leader, he heard the sounds of footsteps behind him. Two Kintobor soldiers arrived from behind, pointing their guns at the fox's back. "Freeze!" the one on the left yelled out.

Tails slowly raised his arms in surrender. The soldiers inched up to the Mobian until they were just right behind him. Suddenly, the Ex-SOLDIER bent his knees and leapt backwards, arcing over their heads before the MP's could even blink. Landing just behind them, Tails quickly drew his weapon and performed a sweeping, horizontal slash, eviscerating them from the waist down and killing them instantly. Using the momentum of the swing, Tails' body spun around, facing away from the downed guards.

Placing his left hand on one of the tiny green jewels lodged into the slots of his sword, he drew yellow-white energy from it. Sheathing his weapon, he used both hands to contain and concentrate the energy just in front of his chest, where it coalesced into a small ball between his palms. Pushing his arms outward, he called out "BOLT!"

A zig-zagging, yellow-white beam of energy shot out from Tails' palms, travelling down the platform, arcing around a stack of crates and hitting a third guard who was hiding behind them. The impact sent high-voltage electricity shooting through the hapless grunt's body and left a singed, blackened mess in its wake.

Not waiting to see if his magic attack hit, Tails swiftly turned around and dashed towards the stairwell leading street side. Once there, he spotted the three Overlanders huddled near the reactor's entrance. The woman was hunched over, rapidly typing codes from a small, hand-held computer connected to the door controls. The other two were standing close to her, keeping watch.

Biggs spotted the Mobian across the street and waved his hand, motioning him to come over. As Tails crossed the street, the Overlander broke out into a huge grin. "Hey, welcome newbie," he chortled, his tone friendly as the fox approached his side. "You're from SOLDIER, aren't you?" he asked, glancing over at the slightly shorter swordsman. "I never expected to see a guy like you work with an organization like TORNADO."

The fox shrugged, clearly uninterested in socializing with his charges.

Jessie paused from her work, looking back at the Mobian with wary eyes. "SOLDIER, aren't they the enemy?" she asked Biggs.

Her comrade shook his head in response. "Nah, not this guy, he used to be with them, but quit and is now one of us," he said simply. Turning back to the fox, he kept talking. "You're name's Tails, right?"

The fox nodded robotically, glancing over at Biggs.

A genuine smile broke out on the man's face. "Awesome, this mission'll be a piece of cake with you around, I'm thinking –"

Before he could finish, Tails interrupted, jerking his head towards the talkative male. "I don't care what you think," he replied coldly. "Once this job's over, I'm out of here. For now, focus on the mission."

The Overlander's grin evaporated instantly. He awkwardly returned to his watch, pride hurt from the fox's words.

Soon enough, Tails drew his weapon upon hearing lumbering footsteps coming towards their direction. In the back of his mind, he wondered where their 'leader' was at a time like this. His question was soon answered as his Energen infused eyes caught the sight of the burly polar bear heading towards them, clearly upset.

"What the hell are you all doing?" he yelled. "I thought I told you to never move in a group!" Everyone flinched except Tails, who sheathed his massive sword, rolling his eyes at the bear's antics.

Shaking his head in frustration, he turned to Jessie. "Any luck?" he grumbled, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Almost… There!" she replied, triumphant. The security doors rattled open, revealing the entrance to the reactor.

Tails suddenly walked up to her, arm outstretched. "Give it here," he said to the woman, pointing to her console.

Alarmed, Bark raised his gun and toggled the safety off, pointing the weapon at the fox. Tails, however, held up a hand to the bear. Still addressing Jessie, he asked, "What did you do for the security cameras and communications?"

"N-Not much," She answered, realizing the implications of his question. "I added a patch to jam communication lines and I disarmed motion sensors, but that's it."

"Then hand it over," Tails said coldly. Taking the console from her, he started inputting commands on it, all while the polar bear kept his gun trained on the swordsman. After a few moments, he tossed the controller back to Jessie. "Done," he said. "Cameras are on a feedback loop and communications are also scrambled. Thermal sensors are also down. I've also messed it up in a way that it'll take a long time to fix it. And even if they end up fixing it, it'll be too late."

Jessie looked at the console, observed the code and then looked back at the fox with awe. "He's right, this is genius," she said reverently, pocketing the machine after disconnecting it from the panel. She turned to her leader. "Bark, it's OK, he _actually_ helped us."

Bark kept his arm trained on him for a moment longer and then dropped it. "Fine then," he spat. He walked up to the entrance and peered inside, scoping the premises, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, except a few guards in light-duty equipment. Satisfied, he turned around and addressed his team. "OK, so you know the plan," he said quietly, steeling himself. "Our target's the Energen Reactor and RINGTEK Manufacturing Plant #1. Jessie and I will sneak in, head to the main conversion chamber all the way at the bottom of the plant and set a bomb there. Biggs," he addressed the raven-haired male. "You're in charge of getting us to the lift. From there, you get to the manufacturing plant and set another bomb at the main plant line. It should be easier to get there versus the reactor heart. Once you do, get back to the rendezvous point and stay out of sight until Jessie and I return. Wedge," he turned to the portly one. "Secure the exit. And as for the Ex-SOLDIER," he said glancing at the fox distrustfully. "You're with me."

Tails shrugged. "Sure," he said.

"Alright then," Bark exclaimed. "Let's do this!"

With that, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie ran inside. Bark lingered, glaring at the fox. "That was pretty impressive, what with the cameras and communications systems and all," he snarled, not sounding impressed at all. "But I still don't trust you." He then did an about face and followed his team, leaving Tails to himself.

The fox furrowed his brows, annoyed. _'I wasn't looking for you to trust me anyways, I'm just hoping you keep your end of the bargain when this is all over,_' he thought. He glanced up at the reactor for a brief moment before entering the reactor himself, catching up to the others.

* * *

A chill ran down Cosmo's back. She turned around swiftly, ignoring a potential customer, and looked towards the towering reactor nearby, the number '1' emblazoned on the structure. She felt her hands anxiously draw into fists.

'_It's almost time,_' she thought, fighting the urge to tremble. She calmly turned back around and walked as far away from the reactor as she could. Stopping in front of the main theater, the billboards above flashing images from the play "Loveless" she waited, her face stoic and stone-like.

For she knew, from the images that she saw, that tonight would be one of the most important in her short life.

* * *

A/N: And there it is! Hope you enjoy it!


	4. Bombing Mission

**A/N:** See my profile for new info about chapter postings.

* * *

Chapter 4: Bombing Mission

'_11:00 pm, that's when the last train should have pulled into the Sector 1 station,_' Cream thought, glancing at the flat-paneled tele-crate screen mounted on the wall next to her. It was another packed night for her at Vanilla's Haven. Her mind on the mission her friends were on, she kept busy by serving drinks and making small talk to customers both familiar and new.

One of her regulars, an Overlander with long auburn hair swept back, wearing a black, unopened vest, a thin, white t-shirt and faded black jeans waved her over, grinning lopsidedly. "Hey gorgeous, can I get another round?"

Cream rolled her eyes at his obvious flirting and smiled at him. "Johnny, you keep that up and I'm cutting you off!" She continued working, serving up drinks and warmed food to salivating customers, keeping the pouting Overlander in the corner of her eye. After letting him stew for a few moments, she slid a bottle of a particular lager down his way.

The man easily caught the bottle in his hand. He beamed heartily at the barmaid. "Aw, thanks Cream!" he shouted gleefully over the crowd. He took a pull from the bottle, relishing the bitter taste, before continuing his conversation with another patron sitting beside him. "So anyways, I was saying…"

Cream turned away from the conversation and was about to queue the next customer at the counter, when she heard sniffling nearby. She rose her hand up to indicate that she'll be right back and walked to the source of the whimpering near the back hallway – a tiny Overlander girl, with straw coloured hair and wide blue eyes, her tiny lower lip trembling. Wearing a set of pink pajamas that were a size too small, she clutched a ratty, brown teddy bear with a missing left arm tightly around her. The little girl looked up to the taller Mobian in front of her. "It's too loud," she said plainly. "I can't sleep."

The rabbit kneeled down, looking softly at the toddler. "I know sweetie," she replied, smiling gently at her. She hoisted the little girl in her arms and brought her back to the bar area. Placing her on a stool behind the bar, she looked at her in the eye. "Now, I want you to stay here and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious," she said in mock seriousness. "If you can't go to sleep, then I'll put you to work, OK?"

The toddler smiled. "OK Cream!" she said, eager to help out.

Grinning, Cream turned back to the crowd. "Alright, listen up!" She hollered, catching everyone's attention. "Hope here is gonna keep an eye on you guys, so you all better be on your best behavior, understand?" She pointed at the little girl sitting behind the counter on the stool, scouring the crowds with a steely gaze and watching for troublemakers.

Stricken with mock fear, Johnny stood up and looked at Hope, clasping his hands in front of his face. "Oh, please Hope," he pleaded, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "We'll be really, _really_ good, honest we will." He turned back to his fellow patrons. "Right guys?"

A chorus of cheers, acknowledgements and shouts of "We promise!" answered back.

The toddler blushed at all the attention. "OK," she said, nodding shyly.

Another raucous cheer broke out and Cream had to bite her lip hard to prevent herself from cracking up. She returned to the counter and spoke to her patiently amused customer, apologizing for the wait.

Suddenly, the nightly newscast on the tele-crate flashed a large 'Breaking News' banner, catching the attention of those nearest to it. One of them, a zebra, called out to the barmaid. "Hey! Can you turn it up for a sec?!"

Hastily grabbing the remote on the liquor shelf, Cream pumped the volume up to its maximum. The near-deafening crowds quieted to a hum as the brunette haired newscaster spoke.

"This is Scarlet Garcia, reporting from the Kintobor News Network desk in the Sector 2 studio," the woman behind the news desk said primly. "We interrupt this broadcast to bring you a breaking news update: We have reports of an incident at the Sector 1 Train Station this evening. Just after 11:00 pm, several assailants attacked the security detail guarding the station. Two MP's were knocked out, while another three have been brutally murdered. We will provide an update on the situation when we obtain more information." The screen then returned to its normal broadcast.

Cream felt her fists tighten reflexively at the news. _'So, it's started,_' she thought, returning to her work. _'Here we go then…_'

* * *

Sticking to the shadows, TORNADO made their way through the winding passages that made up the security checkpoints leading into the reactor, stealthily dispatching the skeleton crew acting as security detail along the way. They moved quickly and efficiently, mowing down each Kintobor grunt one by one with sheer numbers. Tails trailed behind, killing those the group missed in their mad dash through the passage.

'_You got to give it to them,_' the two-tailed fox thought, watching TORNADO's movements as they progressed. '_Despite their amateurism, they seem to know what they're doing. Colour me impressed.'_

Dashing through the security checkpoints, the team emerged onto the wide catwalks leading into the plant interior. Suspended sixty meters above, the walkways connected the main entrance from Sector 1 to an emergency exit leading to Sector 8, with another catwalk in the middle running perpendicular into the reactor proper. The reactor itself, a towering mass of metal, was physically separated from the plates. This was done to prevent or reduce damage to them in the event of a plate collapse.

Biggs and Bark made a right at the T-junction, running into reactor entrance, Wedge ran to the opposite end to secure the emergency exit leading into Sector 8, hiding in an alcove, while Jessie and Tails brought up the rear. "Go blow this place to hell!" Wedge shouted as the first two passed him by. As soon as the fox was through, the woman slammed a button on the nearby wall. With a hiss, a steel door slid into place preventing access from the oncoming security forces that were likely to follow. She then pulled out her sidearm and shot the controls before continuing on.

Once inside, the three TORNADO members and Tails caught their breath. Bark straightened up, his massive chest heaving. "OK, the easy part's done. Biggs, go enter the codes."

"You got it boss!" With a grin, Biggs strode up to the access door at the far end of the room. Hastily pulling out and unfolding a sheet of paper, the man scanned the writing before inputting commands into a control panel next to the door.

While this was going on, Tails surveyed his surroundings. The interior was simple and industrial: thick metallic panels covered the floors while the walls consisted of reinforced concrete. The surfaces were caked with yellow and grey grime caused by the fumes within the reactor. The hallways were filled with an adequate amount of lighting necessary for workers to traverse through with no problems. Exposed pipes crisscrossing along the walls and ceilings made the space feel narrower than it really was. The fox's eyes then landed on the Overlander manipulating the door controls, muttering to himself as he did so.

The Ex-SOLDIER's gaze was broken by his employer, who walked into his line of sight. "Is this your first time in a reactor?" Bark asked, eyeing him warily.

"No, I've been in plenty before. I did work for Kintobor, you know," the fox replied, running a gloved hand through the fur on his head.

Gritting his teeth at the mere mention of the company, the polar bear continued. "Well I'm sure you know what these things do then. Energen isn't just a convenient, cheap energy source; it's the source of all life on Mobius. And these bastards keep sucking it all up with their weird machines and converting them into RINGTEK…"

Tails shook his head. "Look, I'm not here for a lecture," he interrupted. "Let's just get this over with."

Fed up with his lack of understanding, Bark snapped at the mercenary, pointing his Gun-Arm at him. "Fine then, you want over with? Then YOU can lead us down to the bottom of the complex, while I stand right behind you with a bullet ready to blow your brains to bits if you make a wrong move."

Tails quickly adopted a defensive stance, his namesakes raised up, a hand on his sword and electric blue eyes glaring daggers at Bark. _'Screw employment,_' he thought, his teeth bared. _'I've had enough of his shit. I'm taking him on, here and…_'

"Code deciphered!" Biggs shouted triumphantly as the door rattled open loudly. Turning to the others, his face went chalk white at the scene in front of him. "Um… I miss something here?"

"Shut it Biggs, and give that here," Jessie snapped, snatching the piece of paper from his hand. "You're too damn slow. And boss?" She said, turning to Bark. "We need to get going; don't you remember what's at stake here?"

Bark broke his gaze from Tails at her words. "Hmph, yeah," he muttered, lowering his weapon before turning his attention again back at the fox. "Ex-SOLDIER, you take point once Jessie breaks through the next set of doors."

Tails nodded in response, his body relaxing and his face returning to a more neutral look. Inwardly though, he was intrigued. '_Hm, despite his temper, at least he has his priorities straight._'

Jessie hurried towards the access panel for second set of security doors. Without hesitation, she riffed open the sheet she swiped from Biggs and started punching commands. It took only moments before she cracked the code and the doors opened. "Code deciphered," she announced.

Biggs walked up to her with his hand held out, his lips set in a grim line as opposed to his constant grinning. "Ok, I'm up," he said. "Hand me the bomb and I'll head into the manufacturing plant."

The woman dug into her satchel and handed him an object wrapped in brown paper. "Here it is. Once you set it, make sure you get back to the rendezvous point." She gave him a concerned look. "Look, be careful with this, it's delicate. Oh, and don't forget to use that data device I gave you too."

Biggs raised an eyebrow at her, cracking a smile. "Yeah, yeah, I won't forget. And am I not careful as it is?"

Jessie shoved him, returning his smile. "Oh shut up and get going," she said. "And take care of yourself too."

The man nodded. "Same to you all," he replied before heading into the manufacturing area.

"You two done?" Bark asked, impatiently waiting by the lift. "Let's get going."

As the trio entered the lift, Jessie looked at the two-tailed fox, pointing to a switch on the far wall. "Hey can you push that switch over there?" she asked.

Tails walked to the back of the elevator car and pressed the green switch pointing downward. The door behind them slid closed and the car began its descent towards the bottom level.

Bark decided to give Tails another chance to understand the significance behind this mission and its implications into the future. "Look man," he addressed the mercenary. "All I was saying before was that sooner or later, these reactors will suck out ALL the life force keeping this planet alive. Once that happens, that's the end of all of us."

Shrugging in response, Tails responded. "It's not my problem."

The polar bear slammed his fist against the car, rattling it. "For fuck's sake Tails, the planet is dying!" he roared.

"And I'm telling you that the only thing we should be worried about is finishin' this job before this place is overrun by Robians and Roboguards," Tails responded coolly, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. '_Well, I was wrong about his priorities,_' he reflected.

Bark shook with rage at the warrior's words. _'I should've figured,_' he thought angrily. '_Of course the survival of Mobius takes a back seat to what's really important in this world: money._'

"Hey, are you sure that Robians are really gonna be here?" Jessie asked, eager to change the subject.

Tails opened an eye, which glowed in the dim lighting of the elevator car. "Positive," he responded. "You guys may have reduced the security detail here down to a skeleton crew, but these are their stomping grounds. They don't need breaks or get paid. Guarding secure, classified locations like these and the more dangerous areas within the slums is their only function in life now. We'll definitely encounter one at least." As he spoke, the elevator stopped, with the panel on the side displaying the words, 'Refinement Plant' and the doors opened.

Putting aside his anger for now, Bark peeked out to check their surroundings, Gun-Arm raised. Seeing that the coast was clear, he motioned to Tails to take point while he brought up the rear, with Jessie in between them. As they descended several staircases and ladders towards the mission objective – the main conversion chamber, Tails' supernatural hearing started picking up sounds of mechanical rasping hidden amongst the industrial noise. After entering the door leading into their main target and crossing over another catwalk to a platform, he brought up his hand, motioning them all to stop. "I hear something coming," he said, gripping the Buster Sword hilt.

Bark swung his arm around wildly. "What do you mean?" he asked, aiming at nothing. "I don't hear shit all. Quit trying to scare –"

With a screech sounding like nails on a chalkboard, three Squirrel Robians; normal Squirrels with bodies and minds transformed into merciless, weaponized killing machines, dropped from above in a pincer formation, with two in front of Bark and Jessie and one in front of Tails. The warrior drew his sword and swept the blade across, cutting the roboticized Mobian facing him in two before it could land. He turned around to see Bark gunning down the remaining Robians, his bullets barely penetrating their metallic hides. The swordsman placed a hand quickly on the second green jewel on his sword, drawing out blue energy from it. Sheathing his sword, he collapsed the magic into a ball in front of his chest, focused on the robot currently enduring Bark's assault and pushed his hand outward, calling "ICE!"

The energy shot out as a beam from his hands, barely scraping the polar bear's right shoulder, and hit its target, super-cooling the Robian's body and making it brittle enough to allow Bark's bullets to breach its shell and destroy it. Tails repeated the process for the other Robian, for which Bark destroyed in the same way. Finally, Tails lifted his boot and stomped hard behind him, crushing the skull of the first Robian he took down, crawling up to ambush him.

"What the hell was that?" Bark cursed, his chest heaving.

"Trouble," replied Tails, his eyes narrowing as he picked up more unnatural sounds. "And there's more of it coming!"

Two more Squirrel Robians skittered along the walls, jumped off and landed in front of them, hissing. The one closest to the three lashed out wildly and tore a gash in the polar bear's left arm. Bark roared in pain and grabbed the robot on instinct. Shoving his Gun-Arm down its throat, he pumped its insides full of lead and then threw its lifeless husk over the catwalk and into the glowing silver-gold pool below. The Ex-SOLDIER then leapt over Bark, bringing his sword behind him. At the apex of his jump, he brought the massive blade forward, using the momentum of his vertical slash and the forces of gravity to cut the other Robian in two. Landing in a crouch, the fox's eyes widened in alarm as his ears picked up the sounds of mechanical legs stomping up behind them. The unknown mechaniloid whirred and then hissed; noises that the two-tailed fox were very familiar with. "Sweeper's behind us, everybody duck!" he shouted, dropping to the floor.

The Mobian and Overlander hastily followed suit as bullets whizzed past them. Clenching her teeth, Jessie dug into her satchel and produced a grenade from it. Pulling the pin out, she counted to three in her head before lobbing it in the vicinity of the Sweeper. The grenade landed right near its spiked feet and exploded, cutting short its barrage. Tails got up from his prone position, his hand already charged with yellow-white energy. He thrust the hand holding the charged energy outward and called "BOLT!"

The burst of magic shot out of Tails' palm, into the damaged legs and the rectangular shell of the machine. The lightning danced around, short-circuiting it and leaving it nothing more than a hunk of scrap in its wake.

Jessie got up first, shivering at the sight of the mechanical remains. "Ugh, those things give me the creeps," she muttered, staring at the Sweeper's metallic grill. She turned to Tails, flashing a small smile to the Mobian. "Thanks. If it weren't for you, we'd probably be dead by now."

The fox shrugged. "No problem." He looked around and piqued his ears, using his enhanced senses to detect any more unwanted encounters. "I don't hear or see anything coming our way, so we better use this to our advantage and carry out the mission. They'll be more of them eventually."

Bark rose up afterwards, his arm bloodied, and walked over to Jessie. She dug his hand into the pack, pulling out some medical tape and a thin phial filled with blue liquid, with the label 'KPI Medical Division – Potion' stamped on the side and handed it to the bear. Popping the top off and holding it with his teeth, he haphazardly poured half of the solution on his wounded arm, yelping in pain as the liquid made contact. The antiseptic components of the Potion reacted and formed a paste around the wound, sealing it. Taking the phial out of his mouth, he downed the remaining contents and retched at the bitter taste before discarding it. Sticking one of the barrels of his Gatling gun through the roll of tape and using it like a dispenser, he bandaged his arm before returning it back to the Overlander. He nodded at the fox, becoming more and more convinced that he was truly on their side. "Yeah, you're right, let's go," he said, walking forward. "We're almost there."

* * *

While the pathway leading conversion chamber was heavily guarded with Robians and Roboguards, infiltrating the RINGTEK manufacturing control area was a much simpler task to accomplish. After splitting from the group with the second bomb, Biggs snuck past plant operators and light security detail, heading for the main control room. As he went, he noticed the heavy use of security cameras, all reprogrammed thanks to the Mobian Ex-SOLDIER. Biggs smiled to himself, thinking about the hardened warrior. '_It's a damn good thing we have that guy on our side, without him, this mission would've gone south long ago.'_ He soon found himself in front of the control room, its door wide open. He peeked inside, seeing three Overlanders – two dark haired men and a blonde woman - and two Mobians – a male canine and a male toad - dutifully observing the monitors in front of them and taking notes of production quotas. Each wore the same uniform: a light blue, short sleeve work shirt, dark blue denim overalls with beige gloves tucked into the front pocket and dark brown work boots. Seeing a nook where he wouldn't be seen by anyone, Biggs stealthily entered the room and tucked himself into it. His heart racing, he observed the scene in front of him.

Beyond the windows looking outward into the main manufacturing plant were several dozen rows of machinery, which all formed an assembly line. The bulk of the assembly line consisted of machines used to cast the Energen into RINGTEK. Inside each shape, a thin, ionic charged solid ring was inserted. The ring was made up of different alloys that caused slow, but powerful chemical reactions with the Energen once bonded. At the end of each ring and exposed outside of the die was a socket, used to insert the RINGTEK into machinery in order to power it. Pipes from the refinement chamber transported refined Energen into the manufacturing plant, where various nozzles injected it into the molds, which were then sealed. The molds themselves came in multiple sizes, from large fuel cells to install in vehicles and mechanisms to tiny cells used to power small appliances. Once closed, the molds were then subjected to liquid nitrogen, flowing through tubes crossing the doughnut shaped die. The heat from the extracted Energen exchanging with the liquid nitrogen caused it to harden and bond with the inner ring, creating the powerful, self-contained battery. Once casted, a mechanical arm extracted the rings and inserted them into specially designed containers to cool the rings further, increasing their durability. Once cooled, the rings were transferred to another department for packing and shipment.

Biggs sighed as he looked on at the automated process in front of him. '_All this technology helped to advance and modernize our world, but at what cost? The destruction of our only home and of our people? I can't let that happen._' He checked the watch on his wrist: the digital display noted the time as 11:29 pm. The man chuckled to himself. _'How ironic is it that I'm using a device powered by the very thing I'm going to destroy to advance our plans?'_

A minute passed and a loud buzzer emitted from a speaker in the wall, indicating the end of the shift. As the conversing plant workers left the control area, Biggs slowly got out of his hiding spot, crouched down and headed over to the main control console. Knowing that he only had about ten minutes before the next shift entered, he quickly extracted a thin, rectangular data stick and inserted it into the terminal in front of him. The programming inside the stick automatically executed its subroutines, discreetly searching for and downloading critical data. While that operation was in process, Biggs then pulled out the explosive Jessie gave him. Peering underneath the console, he spotted an area where he could place the package without it being seen. After adhering it to the spot, he extended a thin, flexible antenna and pushed a black button, activating the bomb.

'_Done,_' he thought, getting out from underneath the console and looking at the screen in front of him, the words 'Download Complete' showing up in a popup in the left hand corner of the screen. '_And so is this thing too._' Pulling out the stick, he placed it in his pocket and looked at the time. It read 11:38 pm. "I got two minutes left," he whispered to himself, adjusting his headband. "Time to blow this pop stand." He crouched down again and slinked out of the room, unseen by the midnight shift workers entering shortly after.

They had no clue of what was about to unfold.

* * *

After hopping over to another platform and climbing down another ladder, the three stopped at a wide walkway suspended above a glowing pool of raw Energen. At the very end of the path lay the extraction chamber; the heart of the reactor. The entire apparatus consisted of an oblong, eight foot tall control structure jutting out of the concrete wall and covered in switches and gauges. An array of pipes, both thick and thin, sprouted out of the top, going upward like web from the current level they were on to the refinement plant ten stories above. On the bottom, a series huge pipes that were used to extract the raw Energen, led down from the machine and into the pool of gold and silver below. A large hand wheel in the centre of the structure operated the set of enormous, eighteen inch valves controlling the flow of liquid entering it.

Jessie handed Bark the second, much larger explosive, before drawing out her 9 mm pistol from her pack and waited by the ladder, her alert, hazel eyes watching for incoming enemies. "I'll wait here," she said to the two Mobians, her mouth set into a grim line.

Bark nodded and motioned the fox to follow him. Tails started, but paused when an object on the floor caught the corner of his eye. It was a tiny, brilliantly cut green jewel, similar to the ones installed into the slots of his Buster Sword. He walked towards it and picked it up. "An Emerald," he said softly. Energen further condensed beyond the RINGTEK state would crystallize and become an Emerald; a jewel containing incredible powers. From granting powerful magic to improving the body itself, Emeralds became a necessary tool used by Kintobor to ensure their reign. Peering closely at the gem, Tails saw a soft and warm green light emanating from it, eliciting a smile from the warrior. "Looks like Restore magic." He was about to switch it out for the Ice Emerald in his sword when Bark lumbered up, clearly annoyed.

"What the hell is this?" he asked, snatching the item out of Tails' hand. Looking at it in confusion, he shook his head and pocketed the jewel. "C'mon man, we got a job to do here! Once we're done here, this place is gonna be nothing more than a hunk of junk!" He held out the bomb and Jessie's instructions to the fox. "Tails, you set the bomb."

Tails raised an eyebrow, his glowing eyes staring coldly. "And why do you want me to do it?" he questioned. "Shouldn't you do it?"

Bark glowered wearily at the quizzical fox. "Just do the damn thing already. I'm watching you so you don't pull anything."

The fox rolled his eyes. "Whatever, fine," he huffed, snatching the package. He approached the mechanism with the polar bear behind him, Gun-Arm aimed at his back. As he was about to place the bomb, he froze as a high pitched buzz erupted in his head, like it was signaling him. He suddenly heard a childlike voice pop into his head.

'Watch out! Something's off about this reactor!'

Bark watched the Mobian stop in place for a few moments and then shoved him out of his stupor with his gun. "What's wrong?" he asked, glowering at him.

"Huh?" Tails blinked in confusion for a few moments, processing what he just heard as he returned to reality.

The impatient bear growled. "What's wrong, Tails, hurry the hell up!" he demanded.

Tails shook his head and cleared his mind. "Yeah, sorry," he apologized. He set the charge against the main control board on the reactor, observing it. The bomb that Jessica of TORNADO developed was an ingenious device. The main unit consisted of a powerful explosive with a tiny control board mounted on it. Tails extended the two, flexible wires that worked as a high powered transmitter, enabling a signal to pass through concrete and steel. He then pressed a red button on the top corner to initialize the control board. The RINGTEK-operated device activated a small, rectangular LCD display on the top left corner of the charge. Upon startup, the screen flashed the words 'CONNECTING' for a few moments until it displayed 'OK!' on the screen. Before Tails could push the black button to arm the device, an alarm activated with klaxon blaring out loudly and strobe lights flashing red emergency beacons.

Bark furiously pressed his Gun-Arm against the fox's head at that instant. "What the hell did you do?!" He bellowed.

An intercom beat out the two tailed fox before he could speak. "Warning! Unidentified tampering detected at conversion chamber!" the female voice announced. "Dispatch Roboguardian designate E-89 'Guard Scorpion' to eliminate threats! Field shall be modified to accommodate!"

With that, the railing on the walkway detached, falling into the Energen pool. Two thick, steel plates slid out from the walls on either side of the chamber. Each plate was lined at the incoming edge with tapered tabs like gear teeth which connected to the path, the teeth meshing with strategically placed holes in the walkway and forming a single, seamless platform. On the left hand wall, a large, twenty foot tall by fifteen foot wide panel slid open, revealing the Guard Scorpion.

Created to emulate the look of an actual scorpion, the red mechaniloid swiftly moved to the centre of the platform on its six, segmented legs, each the size of a tree trunk. Atop its legs was a heavily plated, oblong torso. In its centre, concealed beneath thick, bulletproof glass, was a set of large, mechanical lenses, acting as its eyes. The lens reflections casted an eerie golden glow on the glass. Its head consisted of a round dome with several antennae jutting out from it and a small, pivoting rectangular scope, used by the guardian to obtain environmental and targeting data. In place of pincers was a pair of long, red plated arms, each equipped with 20mm Vulcan cannons. The most fearsome part of its body was its tail; a multiple segmented, flexible mechanism with an enormous spike at the end of it. The joints of each leg, arm and tail segment, along with its torso, were covered with a black, flexible polymer shielding. The robotic monstrosity vented grey-yellow exhaust fumes out from ports along its body before moving towards the two Mobians, its legs stomping thunderously on the metal platform.

Bark turned his gun away from the fox and towards the Roboguardian. "OK, well there's my question answered!" he yelled as Tails stood beside him, sword drawn. "Head's up fox boy, here it comes!"

* * *

**A/N:** Apologies again for the wait, hope you enjoyed it! Stick around, more will come sooner than before; see my profile for details.


	5. Escape

**A/N: **It's that time of month again! Enjoy, this one was a blast to (re)write!

* * *

Chapter 5: Escape

The Guard Scorpion stampeded across the platform at surprising speed in an attempt to run down the Ex-SOLDIER and the TORNADO leader. Narrowly diving out of the way and tucking into a roll, Bark righted himself and unloaded a volley of bullets, bellowing loudly at the mechaniloid. Shots pinging from the substantial armour covering the Scorpion's vital components, it skidded to a halt and turned around, tucking in and spreading its arms outwards to activate the primary function of the head-mounted scope. The Search Scope - a wide, yellow beam projecting from the small device - swept the area in front of it, before shortly landing on Bark.

"Target acquired," a neutral, mechanical voice announced in monotone, resuming operation. Using the data captured from the various antennae on its head, the Guard Scorpion processed the information and executed its first subroutine. Raising its arms up and forward, it aimed its Vulcan cannons at the bear.

Halting his assault as it did minimal damage, Bark froze as his eyes trained on the high powered machine guns pointing right at him. He squeezed his eyes shut, expecting his life to be over in that instant, when he felt a strong tug on the back of his vest, pulling him out of the way.

The Scorpion fired, 20 mm rounds peppering the area with bullet holes, but failing to hit its actual target. "Error," it said. "Target lost; scanning for new target and initiating defensive routines."

Bark hollered, landing on the floor ungraciously. He turned his head to see his rescuer – Tails – place a hand on his sword, drawing out yellow energy from the Emerald embedded in it. "Thanks," he said, breathing heavily, picking himself up off the floor.

"Don't mention it," the fox replied tersely. He brought his hands in front of his chest, concentrating the energy in between his palms and pushed them out towards the giant robot, calling "BOLT!"

The Lightning beam shot out of his hands and struck, causing the machine to stumble as the electricity briefly shorted out its directional systems. Running up to it after launching the magic attack, Tails unsheathed his sword and leaped up, cutting not at the armoured hide, but one of the arm joints instead, exposing the wiring inside. He landed and started to move away from the guardian, but was caught by the Search Scope.

"Target acquired," the machine repeated, righting itself. "Initiating Melee routines." The Scorpion bent forward and extended its prehensile tail, thrusting it several times at the Ex-SOLDIER. Tails narrowly dodged each strike, but still ended up getting one of his namesakes nicked as the large, spike-ended extremity whizzed past. The barrage continued until the Guard Scorpion pulled back, stepping away from the Mobian. "System overheat; initiate venting protocol," it announced, opening its exhaust and intake ports in an attempt to cool its overheating interior.

Tails used that opportunity to charge up another Lightning spell, aiming for the section he cut open. Firing it off, he witnessed the electrical attack enter the arm, travel throughout its body and overriding its attempts at cooling the now sweltering inner mechanisms, causing substantial damage to the Roboguardian and disabling it once more. The internal safety overrides in the guardian shortly kicked in, sending the energy through a grounding circuit before it could affect its core systems and initiated a quick reboot sequence.

Just as he was about to charge another spell, Tails dropped to one knee, feeling exhaustion creep up. _'Damnit, I'm still not at 100% yet,_' he thought angrily, his chest heaving. '_Six spells used and I'm already feeling Mana fatigue. I think I got three or so more shots left before I burn out, so I better finish this quickly._' He skimmed his eyes over the robot as it rebooted, finally landing on the cameras mounted beneath the bulletproof glass on its torso. "And I know just how to do it," he said to himself, smirking.

Bark rushed up to the downed Mobian and provided covering fire by unloaded a fresh hail of bullets at the Scorpion, who was in the process of rebooting itself. "You alright?!" he hollered at the two-tailed fox, the sounds of his Gatling gun nearly drowning out his voice.

The fox nodded, rising up. "Yeah," he responded, settling back into a fighting stance. "But we need to finish this, fast. The more we delay, the better a chance the remaining security will have at overwhelming us. And I think I have an idea." Bark halted his assault and nodded, letting Tails continue. "Remember how we dealt with those Robians earlier? We're gonna do the same thing. Concentrate your fire on those camera lenses on its chest after I launch an Ice spell. After that, I'll short-circuit the son of a bitch. That should finish it off."

Bark grinned savagely. "I like that idea!" he exclaimed, before glancing back to the Scorpion. "Heads up; it looks like it's getting back up again!"

No sooner than he said so, the mech rose up, the rebooting sequences complete. Before it could fire its Search Scope at the two however, a grenade landed on the back its head, bouncing once before exploding, taking out the array mounted on it and damaging the targeting scope. Half-blinded by the loss of its environmental sensors, the Scorpion diverted all its remaining power to the Search Scope in order to continue its assault. The sensors retained just enough information to allow the Scorpion to deduce the trajectory of the grenade; from the walkway just above it. Hopping backward, its six legs crashing thunderously on the platform, it pointed its cameras upward and saw Jessie, crouched on the walkway above and digging in her pack once more to produce another grenade. Reacting, the Scorpion rushed to the wall and crashed into it, causing the Overlander to drop the explosive, stumble and fall down, her foot getting caught in a grate.

"Ungh, my foot's stuck!" she called out, trying to pull it out. She watched as the Scorpion step backwards, pointing its arms towards her and then staggered, its legs stumbling about once more as another of Tails' lightning spells struck at it from behind. Recovering quickly, it turned around and barreled its way towards the two Mobians while swinging its tail wildly.

Bark and Tails leapt out of the way once more, but the erratic movements of the tail spike managed to slice the fox's shoulder open as he evaded the Scorpion. He swore, hissing in pain as his blood intermingled with the fur on his arm. "Listen Bark, we gotta do this hard and fast," he said, drawing out more Ice magic from the Emerald in his sword. "Wait for the signal and then go!"

The mechaniloid skidded to a halt and turned back around, activating the Search Scope once more. The two Mobians split up; the polar bear running to the left while Tails stayed, charging the Ice magic. The yellow beam landed on Tails as he contained the magic energy between his palms, waiting for the right moment.

"Target acquired," the mechanical voice spoke. It raised its arms, pointing its Vulcan cannons once more at the fox.

"Bark! Now!" Tails shouted, just before the Scorpion fired. He pushed his arms out and called "ICE!" barely dodging the resulting machine gun fire. The spell shot out and hit the glass casing around its eyes, causing it to cool rapidly.

The bear halted in place, aimed at the iced spot and fired, his eyes blazing with anger. The shots easily shattered the weakened glass, damaging the lenses and tearing a hole large enough to expose the delicate components beneath it. Finally, Tails pushed himself to draw out Lightning energy once again. The strain of magical fatigue present on his muzzle, he cast the spell, the lightning traveling in a direct path into the exposed area and to its core systems, damaging them and causing a systems crash in the Scorpion. The large mechaniloid shuddered and then collapsed onto the platform, an undamaged lens on its chest dimming to black.

Chests heaving, the two fighters looked at each other for a brief moment before smiling and then bursting out in laughter, their heads thrown back in elation. Even Jessie weakly chuckled as she continued to pry her foot out from the grate. Soon enough, their amusement subsiding, Bark looked back at the fox and jerked his head towards the bomb. "Alright Tails, turn this thing on and let's get the hell out of here," he said.

Tails sheathed his sword and nodded, heading for the bomb. He paused in mid step though, as his hearing picked up a peculiar sound coming from the Roboguardian they defeated; servomotors reactivating and whirring into motion. The fox narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "Shit," he muttered to himself, before turning back to Bark. "Watch out! It's not over yet!"

The bear opened his snout to speak but was interrupted by the rising of the Guard Scorpion. Running on auxiliary RINGTEK energy, it stood up shakily, its remaining eye gleaming. It tucked and locked its arms into its sides and raised its tail up above its head. The tip opened up in three sections, exposing a stout nozzle. The machine then started to shudder violently as it stood in place, waiting.

Bark raised a puzzled eyebrow at the odd behaviour of the Scorpion. "What the hell is it doing?" he asked the warrior, before shaking his head to clear his confusion and glared at the mech. "Ah screw what it's doing! We got no time for this!" he yelled, lining his arm up at the hole in the Scorpion's chest before firing. "Eat lead, you piece of shit!"

Tails watched the weakened machine with equal curiosity for a moment and made a realization, his right hand anxiously gripping his sword hilt. '_That thing's not acting strangely, its faking to make us think it's weakened! It's baiting us!'_ "No Bark! Don't!" he called out, drawing his sword and running to the bear as fast as his legs could take him. "Don't shoot! Attack while its tail's up and it's gonna counterattack with its laser!"

The bear stopped firing, hearing the last words the two-tailed fox spoke urgently. He craned his head, his eyes widening in panic. "Wait, did you just say laser!?" he shouted at Tails, before turning his head back to the robot. It stilled itself momentarily before sweeping its tail from left to right and firing a focused, white-blue energy beam from the nozzle. It pierced the platform, melting the thick steel as the energy ray made its way towards Bark, who, twice now, saw his life flash before his eyes.

The two-tailed fox roared loudly, pushing his weary body and mind beyond its limits. An aura started to radiate around him as he ran faster to the bear, tiny bolts of green electricity crackling all around him. In his frantic dash, he barely noticed his own namesakes slowly starting to rotate. As they spun faster, his feet touched ground less and less until he was airborne, his two tails spinning like helicopter blades. Now moving faster than he would have on two feet, Tails flew towards Bark, grabbed him by the collar once again and threw him away from the Scorpion's energy beam, hard enough so that he was out of range. The fox then twisted his body so that his spinning tails faced the ground before the laser came too close. The movement caused him to launch upwards vertically until he was high above the mech.

The guardian continued sweeping its tail blindly, trying to hit a target until it started to overheat once more. Halting its attack, it opened all its intake and exhaust ports once again to cool its interior and returned to its normal operation. Concentrating all its remaining energy towards the still-working sensor on its head, it activated the Search Scope, sweeping the area around and above it before landing on the still flying Tails. The Scorpion then raised its arms upward and aimed at the Mobian above.

High above the guardian, the fox stopped spinning his namesakes and briefly hovered in zero-G, holding his sword in a two-handed grip behind him before plummeting towards the machine, his weapon blazing with ethereal green energy. Just as it was about to shoot, Tails let out another mighty roar, swinging the Buster Sword vertically, striking the Scorpion dead-on and landing in a crouch.

Rubbing his head as he got up after being tossed for the second time, Bark gaped as he watched Tails rise up and walk calmly towards him, electric blue eyes burning brightly. The Scorpion stood frozen in place for a moment until both halves toppled away from each other, cleanly cut by the enormous blade, and crashed into the ground loudly. The glow from the remaining camera eye on its chest fizzled out permanently, signaling its total deactivation.

Tails faced the robotic remains, pumped his left fist up, spun his sword twice and sheathed it, placing it on the magnetic disc on his back. He struck a pose as he did so. "Game over," he said, a small smirk crossing his lips.

The polar bear looked at him with awe. "Holy shit, that was amazing! How'd you-" he started before Tails lifted a hand to interrupt.

"Look, there's no time. I'll explain later," the fox replied, running over to the bomb placed on the reactor core. He pressed the black button near the LCD display, initiating the detonation sequence. Ten minutes to detonation. "We have to get out of here. Now!"

Bark snapped out of it, a grim expression on his snout. "Yeah, but there's a problem," he said, looking at the wall where the Roboguardian crashed into. The dent it made completely destroyed the only way back up. "Didn't notice this till now, but the ladder's totaled. How the hell are we gonna get up now?"

Tails eyed the display. Nine minutes and 40 seconds remained. Drawing his sword, he walked up to Bark and stuck out his other arm. "Grab on and hold tight," he commanded.

Raising an eyebrow, Bark gripped his hand around the fox's wrist. Tails bent his knees and jumped, his Energen enhancements allowing him and the bear to launch high into the air. Spinning his namesakes at the apex of his jump, the fox propelled himself and Bark over the catwalk where Jessie lay. Tails dropped the bear, landed and helped Jessie free her foot.

"Thanks," she mumbled, rubbing her ankle. She pulled out four Potion vials and handed them to the Mobians. "We got no time to wrap the wounds, but the Potions should help until we get out of here."

Bark guzzled down both his restoratives while Tails poured one his onto his shoulder and injured tail before downing the other. Once finished, they broke into a run with Jessie following closely behind.

The Overlander checked her wristwatch as they moved. "I set my watch to synchronize with the bomb, looks like we have about eight minutes, thirty seconds left!"

"And with the time we wasted fighting that 'bot, security's had time to open the doors we locked and set themselves up. We'll have to break through them." Tails responded, reaching the next ladder going up. He motioned Bark to go first before stopping Jessie. "You remember that Ether I asked to bring for emergencies? This is one of them."

Jessie nodded, pulling out another vial full of red liquid. Like the Potions, Ethers were another part of a series of first aid products designed by the Kintobor Corporation; the contents designed to either treat external wounds by pouring it on the surface, or to restore stamina and magic in the body via ingestion. Tails took it, broke the cap and swallowed the contents, following Jessie as she climbed after their leader. As he ascended, the fox felt a sudden rush of energy welling up inside him, signaling that his Mana reserves in his body were partially replenished. '_Perfect,_' he thought, as his ears started picking up sounds from beyond the door leading out of the conversion chamber. '_And not a moment too soon._' "Security's caught up to us! Prepare for an ambush!" He yelled out, drawing his sword as he stepped off the ladder.

As if on cue, three more Squirrel Robians dropped from above and landed on the catwalk leading out of the chamber. They were flanked by three MP's with guns drawn. Tails leapt up and spun his tails as fast as he could, rocketing over the Robians before landing in front of the startled grunts. He swept his sword horizontally, cutting down the three MP's before concentrating on the Squirrel bots.

Bark rushed up to the closest bot like a berserker, using his Gun-Arm as a melee weapon to bash in its skull several times, ignoring its feeble attempts at defending itself until it deactivated. Jessie pulled out her pistol and lined up a shot as the third Robian made its way to her, screeching savagely. Those cries ended, however, when the woman placed a well-aimed bullet right through its glass-silicate eyes and into its positronic brain.

Three more Robians suddenly appeared, crawling on the walls and hopping off onto the platform, but Tails was ready for them. Anticipating their appearance thanks to his heightened senses, the two-tailed fox charged up a Lightning spell and launched it at the closest Robian before jumping over it and stabbing the second one before it could touch the ground. Flinging its remains at the third bot, Tails then charged an Ice spell and launched it, cooling the third's exterior enough for Bark and Jessie to finish it off. Without pausing to rest, the three exited the chamber and into the refinement plant.

"Time!" Bark yelled to Jessie as they bolted to the staircases leading up to the elevator.

"Five minutes, fifteen seconds!" She answered.

'_We're not gonna make it…_' The fox thought. _'Unless…_' "Hold on, stop here," he said to the two while drawing out his weapon. "Jessie, grasp the hilt, Bark take my hand." Seeing their confused looks, he explained. "If I fly us to the elevator, we'll cut about two minutes of time, leaving enough for us to get out of here safely. Now grab on!"

Hastily taking their positions, Tails steeled himself before jumping with his two charges and spinning his namesakes. The weights of both Mobian and Overlander affecting him, Tails pushed himself, carrying them up above the six flights of stairs covered with grunts running towards the conversion chamber and landing near the lift. They clambered into the elevator car, Jessie frantically pushing the 'Up' button in an attempt to get the car moving before the soldiers caught wise of their movements. The doors closed soon enough and the car ascended upwards, its occupants heaving hard and trying to catch their breath.

* * *

Crouched behind a crate full of RINGTEK rings and armed with a rifle procured from an MP he incapacitated during his escape, Biggs trained the iron sights on the elevator leading down into the reactor, waiting and watching for his teammates to return. When he saw the lights indicating that the elevator was in motion, he put his finger on the trigger and took a long, deep breath, steadying himself.

The lift stopped and the doors opened, revealing Bark, Tails and Jessie. Grinning, the man hopped out of his hiding spot, flashing a salute. "Yo, what took you guys so long?" he joked, wiggling his eyebrows up and down. Noticing the withering looks they were giving him, he relented, becoming more serious. "Alright then, let's go!"

The lift doors closed once more, descending back down to the refinement plant. "We better hurry," Bark said, his eyebrows narrowing. "We're about to have company. Jesse, how much time's left?"

Jessie ran up to the control panel and checked her watch. "We got less than three minutes," she said, hammering away at the controls to reopen the doors that shut when the alarms went off. It only took her a moment before she cracked the code and the first door opened. "I got this one! Biggs, help Tails and Bark while I get the second one," she yelled as the elevator doors opened up, revealing a contingent of Kintobor MP's who piled out, took cover and opened fire at the TORNADO operatives.

Taking cover, Biggs and Bark traded shots while Tails covered Jessie while she worked, using the massive sword as a shield. He placed a hand on the Lightning Emerald and drew a charge from it. Working furiously, Jessie entered in the last few keystrokes and listened as the code registered and the door opened. "Guys! It's open! Hurry! There's only a minute and a half left!" she yelled.

Tails held the lightning charge in his hand while Biggs and Bark backed away towards the entrance. As soon as they cleared the second door with Jessie, the mercenary launched the spell at the door panel leading to the elevator, shorting it out and forcing the door closed on the soldiers before running out himself.

Wedge spotted his teammates emerge from the reactor. Waving to them, he opened the emergency exit to Sector 8 and stood by the door. Biggs led the pack, followed by Bark and Jessie running side by side and Tails bringing up the rear. As they reached the T-junction on the walkway and swerved to the right, Jessie lost her footing, stumbled and fell flat onto her face. Tails stopped by her side, helped her up and together they escaped right before the bomb detonated.

The CPU on the main bomb located in the conversion chamber executed a command at the 15 second mark, sending a signal up from the high powered transmitter to the secondary explosive Biggs mounted in the RINGTEK Manufacturing Plant. The signal arrived at the second bomb just as the countdown reached zero, detonating both in unison. The resulting blasts ignited the Energen and the RINGTEK, setting off a chain reaction which travelled upwards through the reactor and out of the top of the enormous exhaust stack, spewing out a ring of fire that illuminated the city and the night sky.

Bark smiled while running towards Sector 8 with his team as he heard the explosions ring out from behind him. "The war has started," he whispered to himself.

* * *

"Sir, we have a situation!"

An administrative secretary breathlessly scrambled up the stairs to the 70th floor of Kintobor's main headquarters, located in the center of the city. At the top of her ascension, the woman adjusted her knee-length pencil skirt and glasses, askew in her haste, before striding forward to the man standing next to the opulent desk at the far side of the circular room, looking out of reinforced, floor to ceiling panoramic windows arcing upwards and meeting at the direct centre, allowing anyone on the floor an unrestricted view of the entire city.

From behind thick, round eyeglasses, the man wearing a snow-white coat over broad shoulders observed the damage wrought from the Reactor 1 explosion, lips underneath a thick, bushy grey moustache and long, hooked nose curling into a snarl and hands behind his back tightening into fists. "Yes, I can see it right now," he said, his reedy voice tinted with anger. "Have you any information about the perpetrators?"

The attendant hesitated, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. "Um… Not exactly sir, but the Chaotix have recovered - "

"That bunch of good-for-nothing mongrels and mutts?" The man interrupted, sneering. "They could search the whole of Mobius and they'd never find anything, much less their priority target! Well then, give me your report, what have they 'recovered'?" he said, turning to face the woman.

Snapping to attention, the brunette opened the leather-bounded organizer she carried with her, cleared her throat and spoke. "At approximately 2300 hours at Sector 1 station, two soldiers were incapacitated after investigating the late train entering the station. According to their statements, the usual crowds they see on a daily basis at that time did not exit the cars; they were empty, save for two Overlanders, a woman and a man. One of the soldiers was able to radio for backup before being knocked out. Three MP's responded to the call but were killed in action; two with severe laceration along their waistlines and the third charred black from a magic attack. We originally suspected that one of the assailants was armed with a sword and Emeralds to cause that kind of damage." She then produced a data stick from her organizer and handed it to the white suited man. "Whoever hacked our security systems was very good at what he was doing. Disabled communications, the motion and thermal sensors, set the security cameras on a feedback loop and then further disrupted our systems to mask their presence. The Chaotix, however, recovered this security footage after unscrambling the digital mess the terrorists caused."

The man took the stick, walked over to his desk and inserted it, sitting in his plush office chair. The video file played automatically, displaying it on the wide screen monitor in front of him. He hunched over, the light from the screen reflecting on his squat, bald, liver-patched head and watched. Once the video finished playing, he looked back at the woman, his eyebrows scrunched. "Is this all they got?" he asked.

"Yes, Mr. President," the woman replied.

President Kintobor stood, stroking his moustache in thought for a moment, before picking up the phone beside him and pressing the button marked 'Security' on speed dial. He only waited a moment before he received an answer. "Send out extra troops to Sectors 1 and 8," he said. "They are to look for anyone wearing a SOLDIER uniform and a large weapon on their back. Find him and bring him in alive if possible. Otherwise, kill him."

He ended the call and then pressed a second button labeled 'IT.' "Is the new ID Security Scan software update ready for deployment?" he asked as soon as he received an answer. "Good. Have it installed immediately on the upper plate checkpoints on the Magenta Line. I want them all operational before the first trains leave their stations in the morning. Yes. Also, contact me directly if anything suspicious comes up." Hanging up the phone, he addressed the woman. "Go to PR and tell them I want a press conference set up in the next 15 minutes. And call that piece of shit Kodos and have him brought here. I want an explanation as to why this happened on his watch." He paused, turning back towards the firestorm that was Reactor #1. "Mention to him if he's not here in the next 10 minutes, I'll have him roboticized and taken apart. The Weapons Development department could use the scraps as parts for his precious toys."

The secretary nodded, a chill running down her spine, and hurried off down the stairs to her task.

As his aide left, Gerald picked up the receiver and pressed the button marked 'Operations.' "This is Kintobor," he said on receiving an answer. "Go to each of the seven remaining reactors and install a secondary, silent alarm in the tamper-proof circuit. If the tamper-proof is disabled for any reason, get that circuit to relay a signal directly to my handheld computer." He paused, listening to the response before furrowing his brows and clenching his teeth in rage. "I don't care how you do it, just do it!" he yelled at the unfortunate soul on the other line, spittle escaping from his mouth. "I want a solution by morning, or I'll have you either executed or roboticized! Now get it done!"

Slamming the receiver back on its cradle, the president walked back to the window facing No.1, his white coat, black satin trousers and polished shoes illuminated in the orange glow coming from the flames sprouting from its destroyed, metal husk. His mind was not on the flames that were currently being brought under control, but on a specific part of the security footage he watched; a pair of unnatural blue eyes belonging to a two-tailed fox.

'_A SOLDIER,' _he thought, his fist clenching tightly.

* * *

**A/N: **And there you have it! If you like it, please drop a line to tell me how I'm doing?

Christian Wolf27: Sorry it took so long to respond! I didn't forget you dude. It's good you're into this and I hope you stick around cuz it's going to get crazy!

Also made some changes to Chapter 2; they're pretty minor but affect the series waaaay down the line...

See y'all at the end of next month!


	6. Return to Sector 7

**A/N:** Ah... I'm about a week late... I just left my old job and started a new one two weeks ago so, it's been crazy. I haven't had too much time to write since as soon as I resigned and left my old job, I started my new one almost immediately. So I apologize for the wait. Next chapter should come out on time!.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 6: Return to Sector 7

Jessica of TORNADO blew a strand of hair away from her face while making an improvised explosive against a collapsed wall blocking their way out. The force of the explosion from Reactor #1 jostled loose the already crumbling facades of the unused and poorly maintained emergency exit, threatening a cave-in on the corridor. The other three members of her team sat in silence while watching her work, their faces contorted in a myriad of emotions from apprehensive to grim to tense. Behind them, Tails leaned on a wall, his face the picture of calm and stoicism.

Biggs was the first to break the silence. "Hey Jess, you sure this won't kill us all?" he said, half-heartedly attempting to make a joke.

"Shut it Biggs!" Bark hissed, seething. "Why don't you will the whole fucking place to come down on us already?!"

"Sheesh, sorry I tried to lighten the mood," the Overlander relented, rolling his eyes. They settled into silence once more until he piped up again, this time more softly, more somber. "Guess that means Mobius will keep on living… at least, a little while longer."

"Yeah," Wedge said, gripping a stolen rifle in his hands tightly, his eyes downcast.

Bark said nothing as he instead focused on stilling his trembling hand. It only started after the initial elation about bombing the reactor wore off. '_What on Mobius have we done?_' he reflected, lost in thought.

His musings were snapped when Jessie rose up, after she placed the bomb on a weak spot on the wall. "Guys! Stand back!" she called, putting some distance between herself and the device. The others followed suit.

The explosive detonated after a ten second period, exploding with powerful force and clearing the way to Sector 8. The detonation caused the already weakened corridor to collapse. Immediately, Tails ran out first, followed by Bark, Biggs and Jessie with Wedge bringing up the rear, the ceiling nearly coming down on him. He panted, clutching a stitch in his chest before making his way to the rest of the crew.

They emerged in a small clearing in Sector 8's upper plate, minutes away from the entertainment district. The members of TORNADO plus Tails huddled around their leader. "OK, now let's get the hell out of here. The rendezvous point is the Sector 8 station, just beyond the busy area. Thanks to the chaos we caused, security should be all over the place." Bark said. "If we move in a group, we're bound to look suspicious, so split up and get to the train. Move out!"

The three Overlanders nodded, each taking a different route. Biggs and Jessie ran in the same direction down an alleyway, before the woman cut left while Biggs continued. Wedge took a passage next to them leading to one of the main streets. He slowed down as he approached it and then ducked his head and stuck his hands in his pockets, walking onto the road and acting as nonchalant as possible. Bark spun around and strode up a staircase behind him, leading up and over to the theater. Mid-way up, Tails called out. "H-hey!"

The bear turned back around, facing the fox, casting a hardened look at him. "If it's about your money, save it until we're back at the hideout." He trundled back up the stairs and out of sight.

Tails sighed, watching the retreating bear. '_So much for ditching them here and now, I'll have to wait til we're back._' The fox decided to follow Bark, climbing up the stairs, winding around a building and descending, returning to ground level in another narrow corridor leading out towards the theater. He strode out, calmly observing the scene in front of him.

The aftershock from the reactor explosion created upheaval around the district. Cars were overturned and signs mounted on the walls were knocked down, scattered along the cobblestone road. People ran around terrified, shoving and pushing their way towards the train stations in a desperate attempt to escape. Tails watched them pass, casually strolling through as if nothing was wrong. His attention was taken by a grunt elicited by a woman nearby as a red-haired Overlander bumped into her hard.

The green-haired Mobian landed on her rear, casting an angry look at the man who ran off after shoving her. She picked herself up off the ground and then brushed dirt and dust off her white dress before letting off a sigh. She hefted a woven basket full of flowers into her arms and prepared to leave when she saw Tails walk right in front of her. Eyes widening in surprise, she cut across him, crossing his path. "Excuse me? Could you tell me what happened here? I was just on this street when the reactor exploded and rocked this whole Sector" she said sweetly, biting her lip in worry.

The fox was taken aback by the Mobian in front of him. In his surprise, he took the time to observe the woman; thick, grass-green wavy hair arranged into a braid and bangs framing her pretty, porcelain face. Two red rose ornaments adorned the top of her head on both sides, looking as if they were in full bloom. She had no nose, but the curvature of her face was delicate enough that the lack of nose was not missed. He noticed that she was lithe, almost willowy in stature, her white dress flowing to just below her knees, the hem arranged in points like a daisy, while her torso, from her midriff up, was covered in an unopened, short sleeved green jacket. Around her neck was a red, circular pendant with a small, but brilliant white jewel inserted into its centre. As he watched, he felt something in his mind stir; a memory both faded and familiar, as if he saw or heard of her before. He didn't know if it was because of that familiarity or not, but he started talking to her. "Nothing… but I was wondering," he paused, his mind trying to catch up with his mouth before he continued, looking at the basket she held. "I don't see many flowers around here."

The Mobian tilted her head curiously, her lips curling into a tiny smile. "Oh these?" she said, pointing to the green and white plants she carefully cut and arranged into her basket. "Do you like them? They're only a mobium each?"

Tails nodded, pulling out some paper bills from his back pocket; the spoils of the last few weeks taking on small jobs for the residents of the Sector 7 Pits. "Can I get two?" he asked, handing her two, single mobium bills. _'What the hell am I doing?'_

The woman smiled, taking the money. She bent down, pulling out a sheet of parchment paper and carefully selected two flowers from her collection; one yellow and the other, white. Placing the paper on the cobblestone street, she placed the plants side by side, arranging them neatly, before folding up the paper to make a thin, rectangular sheet the size of an envelope. Standing up, she handed him the sheet. "So you can put it in your pocket without them getting ruined," she said, watching the fox's puzzled face. With that, she turned around, gave him one last smile, said a thank you and walked away.

Tails blinked as he watched the flower girl turn the corner, disappearing from sight.'_That was weird,_' he thought, making his way through the main boulevard leading to the train stations. _'I don't think I've ever met her before… so why do I get the feeling that I know her?'_ Peering upward, he saw a large, Gothic-styled, analog clock, the time reading 12:06 pm. _'Train leaves in 7 minutes… better hustle._' The fox narrowed his eyes, increasing his pace.

After jogging a half-block, he emerged on a large, stone bridge, the station entrance located at the other end. Tails slowed back to a walk, but kept his sense alert. Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him. "Hey! You there!" the person called forcefully.

Tails halted, gritting his teeth. His supra-normal hearing picked up the sounds of whom or what was approaching him. _'Two figures, one heavy-set, the other skinny. Based on the sounds of their footsteps and the equipment hanging off of their bodies, it sounds like they're…_' "Kintobor soldiers…" he whispered, finishing his train of thought out loud. He waited until they got close to him and then turned around, giving them a bored, disinterested look. "What?" he asked.

The smaller soldier, an Overlander, answered. "We've received reports that an individual with a distinct weapon was involved in the bombing attack and we want to ask you some questions about your whereabouts in the last hour. Given that huge sword on your back, we're going to have to ask that you disarm and come with us." He and his partner, a wolf, raised their rifles at the warrior. "That wasn't a request by the way."

The fox rolled his eyes at them. "You guys are definitely lacking in the originality department," he said, drawing his sword. "But honestly, I don't have time for this." With that, he rushed up and cold-cocked the larger of the two in the muzzle with the flat of his blade, before turning it to the Overlander. He swung, drawing blood from the MP's arm and forcing him to drop his weapon, before using the momentum of his swing to execute a kick to his opponent's gut, knocking the wind out of him. Now vulnerable, Tails lopped off the skinny guard's head, before stabbing the Mobian on the ground. He gurgled for moments, choking on his own blood before expiring.

A group of soldiers, hearing the ruckus, appeared behind Tails, pointed their rifles at him and fired. Brows knitted in frustration, Tails turned and ran towards them, sword in front to protect him from the incoming shots. When he got close, he leapt over the bewildered grunts, landed and headed for the station. One of the MP's activated the radio on his shoulder. "Come in, we got a runner heading for the station! Cut him off!" he yelled.

Tails saw another group of four MP's appear from the station, blocking his access to the entrance as he started to make his way across. Cursing, Tails assessed the situation. '_OK, I got two options here; either I cut these guys down, risk the group behind me catching up, kill those guys and end up missing the train, or I hop over them, have the whole bunch of them on my ass and lead them to Bark and the crew… I haven't recovered enough to take them all on and I can't risk my employer's lives…_' The fox stopped, his ears perked up as he heard a whistle. He then felt vibrations on his feet as a train thundered below him. His eyes then darted away from the incoming grunts and towards the edge of the bridge, where the train rolled underneath him, to the tunnels leading down to the Pits. Tails smirked, realizing his way out. _'I have to time it just right,_' he thought, holding his sword aloft and settling into a fighting stance while slowly backing up to the edge.

The soldiers, rifles still pointed at the warrior, edged their way up and formed a half-circle to corner him. "OK, that's as far as you go!" one of them, a hog, said, his upturned nose snorting heavily after speaking.

Tails reluctantly sheathed his sword and half-shrugged at the hog. "I'm not sure you heard what I said when I offed those two before, but I really don't have time for you losers right now," he said. "Why don't you piggies turn around, run home and let me be on my way." As he spoke, he heard a train whistle in the distance. '_Get ready…_'

The hog's face went beet red with anger. "Enough talk!" He spat, his finger squeezing the trigger. "Kill him!"

The fox hopped onto the railing mere milliseconds before they fired, riddling the stonework with bullet holes. Using his namesakes to keep his balance, he started running on the narrow ledge back towards the theater district. The soldiers continued firing, their shots trailing just behind the mercenary. As he ran across, he felt the vibrations beneath his feet grow stronger as the train approached. Tails jumped just as the first few cars passed underneath him. He landed hard on his hands and knees, ducking his head to clear the low tunnel going down to the Pits. He panted, his heart pounding as the train rattled along.

He smiled, thinking of the soldier he insulted. _'Guess he's really pissed off now. That made my day.'_ As the train started its descent down the enormous main support pillar separating the upper and lower worlds, Tails started to make his way to the freight cars near the back of the train. '_I sure hope to the Goddess I'm on the right train,_' he thought idly as he moved.

* * *

"Tails never made it."

Bark, Biggs and Jessie looked at Wedge, who suddenly spoke out after minutes of silence. He and the other members of TORNADO were sitting in a boxcar littered with crates, junk and other things. The portly Overlander sat on one such crate, hunched over, his shoulders slumped.

Biggs leaned on a wall near one of the sliding doors, his eyes downcast. "You think he was killed?" he asked aloud.

Their leader, who sat crossed-arm on the other side of the car, growled. "No way!" he lashed out.

Jessie sat close to Biggs, her face sullen and ashy. She ruminated when the fox warrior saved her life and her colleague's lives several times during the mission. '_He's honestly the reason we're all going home today._' "Tails," she whispered softly.

The occupants in the boxcar lapsed back into silence when they heard sounds of thumping on top of the train. Bark looked up quizzically for a moment, his arm tense. _'Probably nothing_,' he thought after a few moments, settling down and trying to relax.

"Say, you think… Tails' gonna fight to the end for TORNADO?" Biggs asked, breaking the silence.

Bark gave the Overlander a pointed look. "Why the hell are you asking me? Do I look like a mind-reader?" he replied acidly. He then thumped the box beside him hard with his Gun-Arm. "This is all screwed up…" he trailed off before going quiet again.

"Hey Bark, what about our money?" Wedge asked.

Bark hit the box again with his artificial arm, not in anger but because he forgot one little detail. "Uh… sorry guys, nothing…" He replied sheepishly.

The Overlander gave him a flat stare, before shaking his head.

"Bingo," a faint voice said from outside, before the freight door on the left side of the car slid open.

* * *

As he traversed down the train, Tails heard the voices of the other passengers below him. Once he passed the passenger cars to the freight cars, he started hearing four specific voices; that of TORNADO. They were in the next car up from where he was. The fox fought against the wind, his hands and feet making loud thumps against the car's ceiling as he crawled. He sidled down to the left side of the car and used one of his tails to grab hold of the lever for the boxcar's sliding door. After a few attempts, he heard the lever click. "Bingo," he said, pulling the door open.

The door slid open, forced by both Tails' actions and the momentum of the train. The fox grabbed the top lip of the opening and flipped himself into the car, landing with a flourish. "Hey guys," he said nonchalantly.

"Tails!" the three Overlanders exclaimed in surprise, their moods instantly brightening. Bark sat slack-jawed at his sudden appearance.

The fox rose up and brushed dust off his body and his namesakes. "Looks like I'm a little late," he remarked.

Bark snapped out of his stupor. "You damn right you're late," he said, standing. "We're here, wondering where the hell you went, and then you come waltzing in here outta nowhere, making a big scene of it all!"

Tails shrugged. "No big deal, it's just what I always do," he said.

The bear rolled his eyes. "You're full of shit," he said, scowling.

Tails looked at Bark. While his grizzled face showed anger at the fox's actions, his eyes betrayed him. They were full of relief, relief that he made it back alright. Tails smirked at this. "Hmm… sounds like you were worried about me!" he said.

Bark was stunned. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, attempting to say something, before clenching his teeth and growling at the mercenary. "That's coming out of your paycheck, hot stuff!" he spluttered, moving to the centre of the car. "Alright everybody, get up!" he ordered, composing himself. "We're moving out, follow me!" He opened the door leading to the passenger cars and walked out.

Wedge got up, smiling. "Hey Tails, you were great back there," he said in passing, following his leader.

Biggs gave the fox a grin, scratching the back of his head. "Heh heh… Tails! We'll do even better next time," he said before exiting.

Jessie went to the boxcar door, still open from Tails' dramatic entrance. "Be careful, I'll shut this," she said, closing the door. She turned to Tails and then raised surprised eyebrows at him. "Oh Tails! Your face is pitch black!" she remarked, bringing a hand to his face. The fox raised an eyebrow of his own while she wiped the soot from the train exhaust off him before stepping back, smiling. "There!" she said. She made her way to the front and opened the door, before twisting around to face the fox one more time. "Thanks again for helping me back at the reactor," she said, flushing. The door closed behind her.

Tails gave himself a few moments to rest, rolling his now aching shoulders. He pulled out his sword and inspected it. There were only a few nicks and scratches on the broad blade, but no major wear and tear on it. _'I'll have to get it sharpened eventually,_' he thought. Putting it on the magnetic disk on his back, he then pulled out the folded, rectangular sheet of parchment paper holding two flowers inside from his back pocket. There were no crumples or creases on it; the flower girl who wrapped it certainly knew what she was doing. _'Who was she?_' he wondered, putting it back and heading for the exit to the passenger cars. _'And why do I have this strange feeling about her? Like, that we're going to cross paths again?_'

'_Why?_'

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for riding the Megaopolis Railway Express, brought to you by Kintobor Power Incorporated. This is the last train leaving out of the Sector 8 Theater District station on the Magenta Line. Our final destination is the Sector 7 Train Graveyard station. Transfers to the Gold Line are available. The expected time of arrival is 12:45 PM, Megaopolis Standard Time."

The automated, feminine voice blared out of the intercom just as TORNADO entered. Bark waltzed up the aisle and plopped down into a seat, next to a badger wearing an expensive business suit. The Mobian, startled by the bear's presence, got out of his seat and headed to the next car down. "This is why I hate the last train," he grumbled.

Bark glared at the departing Mobian. Once he was out of sight, the bear leaned back and tipped his hat to cover his eyes. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie maneuvered towards the front of the car. Tails brought up the rear, leaning on a pole and listening to conversation.

"You see the headlines on the Kintobor News Network?" A bald Overlander in a suit said to a hare wearing a short sleeve button up shirt and khakis, about three seats back from Tails' position. "The terrorists who bombed the No. 1 Energen Reactor are said to be based in the slums…"

The hare nodded. "Yeah… blowing up an Energen Reactor, they must've had some serious balls to pull that stunt off," he said.

"Mmm. Indeed," the bald man responded. "They must have a calculating leader. I wonder what they'll do next?"

"Hey!" Tails turned his head to the sound of Bark's voice. "Stop standing around like a damn kid," he said, giving him a flat look, before tilting the red hat over his eyes once more. Tails glared at the bear, but didn't move from his spot.

"Psst, hey Tails," Biggs whispered, catching the mercenary's attention. He beckoned him over.

Tails straightened up and meandered to the grinning Overlander. "So, you wanna know why there was so little security at the reactor today?" he asked the fox in a conspiratorial tone.

"…Enlighten me," Tails deadpanned.

"Well, Jessie and I pulled some moves," Biggs continued, missing the sarcasm in Tails' voice. "To put it lightly, it was one part digital trickery and one part real-world chicanery; Jessie found a backdoor to the security detail's payroll department a while back and was able to stop payments going through about six weeks ago. Then, using the addresses she downloaded, I sent anonymous notes to the senior guards, saying that the company doesn't care, that they'll dismantle their union and stuff. Long story short, they revolted and started a strike. They only had a skeleton crew of non-unionized soldiers to watch the place, making it easy for us to do our thing. Pretty cool huh?"

Tails nodded. "Yeah, cool," he said, stoically. His mind said otherwise. _'Bravo,' _he thought. _'They really did think everything through.'_

Biggs faltered. "Uh… well, OK…" he said half-heartedly. He thought the fox would have sounded more impressed at their accomplishments. "Anyways," he continued, getting serious. "It looks like the train hasn't switched to security mode yet. I'm sure that'll change by tomorrow."

"Tails?" Jessie called from across Biggs. She stood in front of a capacitive touch-screen monitor. "You want to look at this with me? It's a map of the Megaopolis Rail System."

The fox went to her, giving her a puzzled look. Jessie chuckled. "I hear you haven't been around for five years and things have changed on the railway since then, so I figured, why not get you up to speed?" she said, touching the screen and activating the map system. "Let's look at it together; I'll explain it to you." She paused, the glow from the screen illuminating her face. "You know, I like this sort of stuff," she said, her eyes focused on the monitor. "Bombs and monitors… you know, flashy stuff."

The screen showed a top-down view of the city. "This is an interactive model of Megaopolis. It's shown here at 1/10000 scale," she said. "The top plate is about 50 meters above ground." She put her finger on the model and swiped up, rotating it to view the city from the side, showing the upper plate, the massive central pillar and eight, slightly smaller pillars underneath each plate.

"Let me guess," Tails said, his hand stroking his chin. "The central structure holds the entire city up and the eight pillars are located underneath each plate's centre of gravity to balance the load."

Jessie smiled at him. "Hey, so you do know you're stuff," she said light-heartedly, then dropped her voice to a whisper. "So, what you did at No.1 wasn't a fluke at all, huh?" Watching him smirk in response, she shook her head, bemused. "Anyways, did you know that each sector used to be a town?" she continued. "I think the names are in the old archives, but nobody here remembers them anymore. Numbered sectors made it easier to remember. That's the kind of place this is." She then tapped on a button on the bottom right marked 'Rail.' The city on screen transformed from a solid, three-dimensional object to an isometric wireframe model showing the upper plate, the central pillar and the Pits.

The upper plate had several rings of blue circling the city. The Pits had a single, deep yellow circle, with the same diameter as the largest blue circle on the upper city. In between the two lines and spiraling up and down the central pillar, was a magenta line. Jessie touched that line. "This line here, spiraling around the central pillar was introduced about three years ago as a way to ease congestion along this route. Normally, trains on the upper and lower cities would travel up or down the pillar and then go along the upper or lower lines. It was always a problem, since the design of the central pillar only allowed for two tracks for trains to go up or down. And they couldn't add additional lines to the pillar without having to tear the whole thing down again."

She tapped a button marked 'Play' near the top corner of the screen and Tails watched as the animation played, showing the transit system in motion. "So they ended up isolating the pillar routes into a new line dedicated to moving people from the Pits to the city and vice versa. At the top and bottom, there's a switch track that sends the train to its intended station. Once they arrive, they can transfer to either the Blue or Gold lines to get to where they need to go." Finally, she tapped an icon with a crosshair symbol on it. A yellow dot appeared on the magenta line, halfway down the central structure.

"Here's where we are," she said, pointing to the dot. "Right now, were just about halfway down the main support structure. At the centre of the pillar route, and at eight points around the Blue and Gold lines, there are ID Checkpoints –"

"Basically, an array of sensors," Tails interrupted.

The woman nodded. "Exactly. They check the identities and backgrounds of every passenger on the train by linking the data back to the central databank at Kintobor HQ." She dropped her voice back down to a whisper, leaning in close to the fox. "Anyone can tell that we look suspicious, so we're using fake ID's."

All of a sudden, the car was bathed in a flashing red light and the intercom speakers emitted a shrill beeping noise. Jessie rolled her eyes. "Well, speak of the devil. That light means that we've entered the ID Security Check area," she said. She leaned in closely again, bringing her voice low. "When the lights go off, you'll never know what kind of creeps'll pop out."

A moment later, the screeching noise from the speakers stopped and the lighting returned to normal. "Phew… Finally, I thought it'd never end," Jessie said. "At least that means we're almost back now, that's a relief." She stared into the screen for a moment and then widened her eyes, an idea forming in her head. "Hey! I got an idea! For a reward, because you got us outta there alive, I mean," she said, noticing his perplexed face. "How about… I make you a custom ID, a special one? I mean, yours is pretty generic, but I feel that you deserve a proper ID, one that you can use to go through the city without hassle? Whaddya say?"

Tails thought about it for a moment. _'An ID card… would make my life easier, since I wouldn't be working solely in the Pits – I could work in the upper city as well. And from the looks of it, Jessie's good at what she does._' "Alright, I'll take you up on that offer," he said, nodding.

The Overlander beamed. "OK then, I'll put a lotta effort into it and make it with a BANG!" she said, exuberant.

"Hey Tails," Bark called out. When the fox looked in his direction, he continued, staring out of the window. "Look, you can see the surface now. This part of the city doesn't have any day or night." He looked up at the mass of steel above. "If that plate wasn't there… we could see the sky."

Tails walked over and looked out the same window. "A floating city," he said. "Pretty unsettling scenery."

The bear got out of his seat, bewildered at the Ex-SOLDIER's words. "Huh? I never expected to hear that from someone like you," he said. "You're just full of surprises." He looked through the window once more, his eyes growing hard at the sight of the plate. "The upper world… a city on a plate. It's cuz of that fuckin' 'pizza' that people underneath it are suffering!" he exclaimed. "The city below is full of polluted air, thanks to those Energen Reactors that suck up all the energy and the discarded, radioactive RINGTEK that makes living there nearly unbearable…" His voice became somber. "And finally, the Robians; normal Mobians, just living their own life, transformed just because their very existence offends a powerful Overlander, and terrorizing everyone down here, no matter who they are or what they look like…"

Tails rose from his spot and crossed his arms. "So why doesn't everyone move to the plate then?" he asked.

Bark shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "Maybe because they don't have any money? Or maybe… because they love their land, no matter how polluted and terrible it gets."

The fox nodded, looking back out the window. "I know," he said. "No one lives in the Pits just because they want to. It's like this train. It can't run anywhere except where its rails take it."

Bark did a double take at the fox's words. _'That's deep… ' _he thought. _'I couldn't have put it better myself._'

* * *

The train continued on its path, spiraling down the last quarter of the central pillar. A switch track activated at the pillar's base, directing the train towards the Sector 7 station. The locomotive slowed down as it approached the platform and came to a stop just a few meters away from a dilapidated passenger car lying on its side, the shell slowly rusting away and revealing its interior. Behind it were several dozen similar looking cars and outdated locomotive engines, eroding due to constant exposure to pollution spewing from the Number 7 Reactor, littering an expansive area between the train station and the edge of the city and stopping short of the high structural wall separating the megacity from the outside world. It was a graveyard filled with broken, twisted metal.

The car doors opened and passengers started to disembark. The members of TORNADO plus Tails were among those getting off, blending in with the crowd to avoid being noticed by the guards. Once clear, Bark waved his Gun-Arm and pointed it to a secluded nook away from the platform. "Gather here all' ya!" he called.

The group formed a huddle around the polar bear. "Alright, the mission was a success," Bark said, keeping his voice low. "But don't y'all be complacent! Blowing up No.1 was the easy part, so you better not have been scared of that explosion," he paused for dramatic effect. "Because the next one's gonna be bigger than that!" He broke the huddle. "Meet back at the hideout! Move out!" he said, heading for the residential area.

The Overlanders followed suit, while Tails walked back at a leisurely pace. He smiled to himself. '_Time to get paid and get outta here,_' he thought.

* * *

**A/N:** See ya next chapter! (At the end of this month for sure!)


	7. Promises and Payments

**A/N:** Sorry I'm a bit late, but new chapter's up! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7: Promises and Payments

"Agh! What the hell are you doing?! Just butt out!"

Tails, sword drawn, startled an otter sitting on a pipe near a fenced off area near the bay doors leading to Sector 6. He raised an eyebrow at the strange fellow who fell onto the dirt. "Sorry 'bout that," he said, sheathing the blade. "I heard some noise; thought it was a Robian."

The otter picked himself up and dusted himself off. His coat was a rich, dark brown with a circle of white fur around his left eye and he wore a simple green vest and black jeans with sneakers. He faced the fox, glaring at him. "Sheesh," he muttered. "Here I am, sitting by myself in my special spot and you just barge in here with the intent to murder! Jeez man…"

"Wait," Tails said, holding up a hand to interrupt. "I'm sorry, but a 'special spot'?"

The Mobian's face went from fuming to smiling in an instant. "Yeah!" he exclaimed happily. "This place is my special spot, it's amazing! I mean, look what's beyond the fence!"

Curious, Tails looked beyond as instructed. His head then started tilting back as his vision was soon filled by the titanic support pillar balancing the load of the entire Sector 7 plate. It was a colossal, 20 by 20 meter pillar, extending from the ground level and up to an insert into the plate 50 meters up. Next to it was a smaller, steel tower with electrical cables going into the stone pillar. '_Must be for monitoring purposes, probably to make sure that the integrity of the pillar is intact…_' Tails thought.

The otter grinned. "A sight to see, huh?" he said. His face fell a moment afterwards. "There was a bombing up top. If this pillar should come down, the whole plate'll fall on us and everyone will be toast…"

Tails watched, his eyebrow rising as the otter's smile returned in full force. "Ah, what the hell am I worried about?" he said, laughing. "No point in doing that now, huh?"

'_Umm… OK?_' Tails thought to himself. He turned around. "Listen, I gotta go," he said. "You should get home where it's safe."

The otter scoffed. "Don't worry about me. As long as I'm in my special, wonderful place, I'll be alright," he said. "Anyways, my name's Pacchi. My nan named me that cuz of the white patch on my eye. You're welcome to come here anytime." He flashed a salute from his left hand. "S'long bro!"

The fox shrugged, walking away from Pacchi's special spot and towards town. Bark and his crew were waiting for him at the entrance. "Yo, over here!" he called. When Tails approached, the bear folded his arm and looked at him suspiciously. "What the hell were you doing just now?" he asked.

Tails shrugged. "Thought I heard a Robian over there," he responded. "Turns out that it was only Pacchi."

Bark's brows shot up in surprise. "Oh, you met that guy?" he said, smirking. "Yeah, he's a weird one, but he's OK. Anyways, come on y'all!"

They walked into town and towards the bar, with the Overlanders in front. En route, Bark opened a panel on his Gun-Arm and pulled on a tiny switch. Hearing a click, he removed the ammunition feeding into the prosthetic and wrapped it around his waist. He then removed a long clip with a blue band around the base from a nook in his protective waist band and inserted it into the feed, clicking the switch and closing the panel.

Tails looked at him quizzically. "What's that for?" he asked, stopping at the entrance to the bar. He could hear the raucous sounds coming from Cream's establishment; it sounded like she had a full house in there.

"It's closing time," the polar bear replied cryptically. He strode up the steps, burst through the saloon doors, pointed his gun upwards and opened fire at the ceiling. The sounds of gunshots startled the patrons and they started to depart in droves, leaving uneaten food and drink behind. Bark chased the stragglers outside, tossing out a protesting red-headed man with his good arm.

"You heard me! We're closed for the night! Now GET OUT!" he yelled, stomping down the stairs. He let Biggs, Wedge and Jessie pass him before he stood at the bottom of the stoop, blocking access to the bar.

'_Hmm… blanks. Now that's a way to clear out a room," _Tails thought as he walked up to the bear.

The red head stood up awkwardly and suddenly shambled up to the warrior. "Hey… Heeeeey! If it ishn't the childhood fren!" he said, his voice slurred from heavy drinking. "Um… Why… Why'd they throw ush out? We wash having funnnn…"

A badger came up suddenly, wrapping the Overlander's arm around him. "OK Johnny, it's time to go home," he said. "Sorry about that," he remarked to the fox. "After news of the explosion broke out, everyone started to panic. That is, until Cream announced drinks were half-price…" He sighed. "Say what you will about the state of affairs, but alcohol lets us forget that we live in a shithole, at least for a little while. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta take this guy home. His parents'll be furious, but still." He departed with his drunken friend in tow.

"Hey, fox-boy! Get off your slow movin' ass! You're going in, aren't cha?" Bark said harshly. Tails shot him a glare, striding past him and pushed the saloon doors open, entering the bar.

* * *

"Papa Bear!"

Tails watched with widened eyes as a blonde-haired little girl bounded to him, eyes closed and a wide smile on her face. The tiny Overlander launched herself into the fox's chest, hugging the startled Mobian tightly. "H-Hey!" he cried out.

He felt the figure on his chest stiffen suddenly. She lifted her head out of his chest, crystal blue staring into his own glowing, electric blue. Blushing bright red, she let go and dashed away to the counter where Cream was, hiding behind it. The rabbit let out a gentle sigh as she opened the flip-top portion, walked to the little girl and bent down, smiling at her.

"Hey Hope, aren't you going to say anything to Tails?" she said. Picking up the little girl, she walked over to the warrior. "Welcome home Tails," she said. Hope glanced at Tails for a moment, before burying her head in the crook of Cream's neck.

Cream giggled. "It looks like everything went well," the rabbit said, placing the girl back down on the floor. The little Overlander promptly hid behind the taller Mobian's legs. Cream then gave Tails a stern gaze. "Did you fight with Bark?" she asked.

Tails looked away, his eyes downcast. "…Yeah," he said after a long pause.

The barmaid huffed. "I figured that was the case," she said, exasperated. "Bark's always pushing people around and _you_," she emphasized this by pointing a finger at him. "Have been getting into fights ever since we were little." She paused, her face softening. "I was worried."

Tails looked back at his childhood friend, smirking. "No need to. I'm fine," he said. "…A little banged up, but I'm fine."

Cream let out a laugh. "Well, I'm glad to hear that," she responded. She then noticed something sticking out of the fox's back pocket. "Hey Tails, what's that?"

Smirking, Tails reached back and pulled out the thin package. "Here," he said, handing it over, "Open it."

The rabbit gave her friend an odd look and tentatively opened the paper, revealing its contents. Her eyes widened. "Flowers?" she said, a dreamy look in her eyes. "Aw, how nice… You almost never see them here in the slums." She tilted her head to the side, looking away from him. "But…" she started, glancing back at him with a tiny smile on her lips. "A flower for me, Tails? Oh, you shouldn't have…"

Tails gave her a small, but genuine smile. He shrugged. "No big," he said. "Take one."

Cream took the white one, bringing it up to her nose. "Thank you Tails, it smells wonderful," she chimed. She turned around, facing the bar and spread her arms. "I'd really love to fill this place with flowers… I think it'd make a nice touch. Don't you think?" When she didn't hear him respond, she turned back around only to see the warrior kneeling in front of Hope.

"Here," he said, handing over the other flower in the package to the little girl. "A gift for putting up with me for the last few weeks, and a thank you for letting me stay here."

Blushing bright red, Hope clutched the flower towards her chest, her crystal blue eyes blinking shyly at Tails. She suddenly scampered away and hid again behind Cream, peeking back at the fox from behind her legs for a moment before ducking behind them once more.

The rabbit's heart swelled with joy at the exchange. '_I never knew he was good with kids,_' she thought as she watched Tails rise. '_It seems like Hope's taken a shine to him, at least._' "Sorry Tails, Hope's a little shy," she said.

Tails shrugged in response. He unsheathed his sword, walked to a nondescript corner of the bar and placed it against the wall. It was the same spot he put it every day for the last three weeks since Cream found him. During that time, Tails worked odd jobs around Sector 7, from scavenging metals to reinforce dwellings to disposing Robians who got too close to the district gates. _'All that work paid off,_' he reflected, taking a seat by Biggs and Wedge. '_I'm strong enough now to expand my reputation to other districts in the city. I don't need to be here any longer. Once I get my pay, I'll be on my way.'_

A sharp pat on the back returned him to reality. "Heeeey! It's Tails!" Biggs exclaimed, his trademark grin plastered all over his face. His speech was starting to slur and his face was slowly turning red – clear cut signs that he was getting very tipsy. "Glad you could join us, rookie! Wanna drink?" He held out a shot glass filled with amber-brown liquid. "It's the good stuff: smuggled from Downunda! It'll grow hair on your chest, kid!" He paused, staring at the fox's fur. "Well… more hair than you have right now, I mean… Anyways, have one!"

Tails opened his mouth to refuse, but then thought better of it. _'It's been a long night and a drink would be good right now._' "You know what, that's not a bad idea," he said instead, lips curling upwards ever so slightly. He plucked the glass from the Overlander's hand and downed it in one go. He relished the drink, feeling the searing liquid go down his throat. "Ahh… not bad," he said, flipping the glass upside down and slamming it on the table. "It could be stronger though."

"Yeah!" The black-garbed man hollered jubilantly, getting up and pumping his arms in the air. "Yo, you're one badass Mobian! That shit's just over 80% alcohol and you downed it like nothing! Still," he calmed down, settling back into the chair once more. "You're only a rookie in this operation, see? So, y'know, you should listen to what I tell ya." He lolled his head backward for a moment, staring at the ceiling before it snapped back to Tails. "Oh! Hic… Um… don't tell Bark what I just told you, alright?"

Tails gave him a flat stare. "Yeah, sure," he said, rolling his eyes. _'Maybe I should've refused in the first place…_'

"Hey, aren't you hungry?" Jessie asked from across the table. "I mean, all that fighting and running around must've worked up an appetite, huh? I've eaten three platefuls of food and I'm STILL famished…"

"Yeah, me too," Wedge chimed in between mouthfuls. "Mmm… Cream's cooking is the greatest. Hey, Tails, I gotta tell you," he faced the warrior. "Cream's always let me taste her cooking; it's probably the reason why I'm all roly-poly. But still, this bar's famous because of the food and drink here." He then returned to his eating.

Tails cocked an eyebrow. _'And that's relevant, how?_' Pushing the chair back, he got up, looking around the empty bar. _'OK, enough socializing. I'm kinda done with this now; I want my pay and I want out, so where the hell is-'_

Suddenly, the saloon doors slammed open and Bark strode in. Hope peeked out once again from behind Cream's long legs and beamed at the sight of the bear. "Papa Bear!" she cried, running towards her father.

Bark's grizzled frown morphed into a playful, wide grin of his own as he knelt down with his arms spread open. "Hope! I'm home, little cub!" he said as the little girl flung herself into his arms and nuzzled her face into his chest.

'_Speak of the devil,_' the fox thought as he and the others watched the exchange between father and daughter.

The bear soon hefted the little girl onto his right shoulder and rose up. It was then that he noticed the flower clutched in her tiny hands. "Hey, where'd you get the flower from?" he asked gently.

"Tails gave it to me," she said, smiling at her father's bemused look.

"Oh…" he said. He looked at Tails. _'So, he has a heart after all,_' he mused, before turning back to his adoptive daughter. "Did you thank him?" he asked her.

Hope turned bright pink as she looked back at the warrior. "… Thank you Tails," She said after a while before taking her father's cap and hiding her face behind it.

Bark burst out in laughter. "Hah hah hah! Aww, don't be shy kiddo," he said in between guffaws. He calmed down, took his hat back and placed it back on his head.

Cream cleared her throat, catching her leader's attention. "You alright Bark?" she asked.

"Just great!" he responded. He walked towards a pinball machine at the far end of the establishment. Holding his daughter steady on his shoulder with his Gun-Arm, he bent over slightly, passed his hand underneath the machine and flipped a switch. "Alright you fools! Get down here, we're starting the meeting!" he said, pulling the plunger back twice.

The floor beneath him, along with the pinball machine, started to descend into a secret area beneath the bar. The three Overlanders got up and followed their leader, hopping down the opening. Jessie then pulled the plunger twice once more, bringing the lift back up.

Tails watched as the pinball machine rose back into place; seeing it in action always made him smile inwardly at the ingenuity and the incredulousness of its design. _'A hideout underneath a tavern accessible only through a lift operated by a pinball machine - It's literally the last place anyone would look to find a terrorist cell._'

He got up and started making his way towards the pinball machine when Cream called out from behind the bar. "Hey Tails, why don't you come sit here for a bit before going down?" she said, jerking her head towards the seat in front of the counter. "I'll even make you something to drink? How 'bout it?'

The fox scoffed, walking back to the bar and taking the aforementioned seat. "Really? You got anything stronger than that stuff you got from Downunda?" he asked teasingly.

The rabbit gave him a wicked smile. "Oh, something REALLY strong then, huh?" she said. "Then I have the perfect drink for you; I've been meaning to try this one for a long time, so you can be the guinea pig for it." She turned towards the shelf behind her and started pulling five specific bottles down, setting them on the counter. She then brought out five shot glasses, an 8oz glass and a martini shaker from underneath the bar, Placing ice into the shaker, she started mixing Tails' drink.

Tails observed her quietly as she worked. He watched as she poured one shot of Christmas Island Brandy, three shots of Icicle Town Vodka, two shots of Mercian Absinthe, a shot and a half of Station Square No.1 Gin and finally, a shot of Chaoberry liqueur. Her movements, he noticed, were graceful, yet precise and efficient – clear signs of a heavily dedicated practitioner of the martial arts. She then shook the drink vigorously, strained it into the 8oz glass and slid it towards Tails. "Drink up… if you dare," she said, a mischievous look in her eyes.

Cocking an eyebrow, the fox took a healthy gulp of the dull red liquid. Instantly, he set the glass down hard on the counter, coughing. "Hack… What… What the hell is this?" he asked as Cream started laughing at him.

"Hah… That's… Hah, hah… I call it an 'Aunt Roberta'," she said over fits of giggles. She breathed hard, forcing herself to relax before continuing. "One of the strongest alcoholic drinks on Mobius: 20% more alcohol content than Downunda whiskey. I named it after a distant aunt of mine; she was always sharp-tounged." She cracked a large grin at the fox. "I'm glad to see that you're enjoying it, Mr. SOLDIER."

Tails furrowed his brows. "Bite me," he responded hoarsely, annoyed that his quest for a good hard drink left him worse for wear.

The rabbit only chortled in response. Settling down once more, she regarded the fox, her eyes filled with concern. "You know, I'm glad you made it back safely," she said.

Tails looked taken aback at her words. "What's with you all of a sudden?" he said, surprised. "That wasn't even a hard job." He took another swig of the potent cocktail; a little less than what he took the first time. '_You know, this is pretty good,_' He reflected, shuddering slightly as the stinging liquid went down his throat. '_Really strong, but good._'

Cream looked down and away from her close friend. "I guess not…" she said. "I mean, you were in SOLDIER, after all." The two entered a comfortable silence as Tails kept drinking. "Make sure you get your pay from Bark," Cream said eventually as the fox finished his drink.

Tails nodded. "Yeah, I will," he said, setting the glass down on the counter. "I'll probably be going tonight, after I get my money. I'll need to do some advertising in other districts about my services. But I'll come visit once in a while," he added, seeing the rabbit's apprehensive look.

Her face, however, hid her real feelings about his imminent departure. '_I wish he'd stay though,_' the thought ran through the barmaid's head as she clenched a fist underneath the counter. '_I feel like something's not right here… I can't put it to words… but something about the way he walks and the way he talks is throwing me off here… It's a little similar to someone I used to know. I have to find out why that's the case; maybe they knew each other, or worked together at least? But I won't get my answers if he doesn't stay…_'

"…eam? Cream?" she was startled by the fox's voice. "Are you OK? You look like you zoned out for a second there," he said, a light smile on his muzzle.

Cream blinked. "Yeah, just tired," she replied, brushing a stray strand of ivory-brown hair away from her face. "It's been a long night for all of us. Speaking of which, you should go down now. Bark's probably getting impatient."

Tails smirked, getting off the stool. "You're right," he said. "Time to get this over with."

"Hey Tails?" Cream called out to Tails one last time as he left the bar and headed over to the pinball machine. The fox turned around. "Are you feeling alright?"

Tails raised an eyebrow. "… Yeah, why?" he asked, nonplussed.

The fighter shook her head. "No reason," she said. "You just look a little tired too, I guess."

Shrugging, the fox walked up to the pinball machine, pulled the plunger twice to activate the lift and descended into the basement.

* * *

"Live from the studio in Sector 2, this is the Kintobor News Network," the wide-screened, flat-paneled Tele-Crate blared out as Tails got off the lift. "With your hosts, Scarlet Garcia and Mick Williams."

Wedge got up from his seat at the square table in the middle of the room, pointing to the screen situated beside Jessie's workstation. "Guys, guys! It's starting!" he said.

Bark ceased hitting a heavy bag at the opposite side of the room with Biggs holding it in place. Hope, sitting on a box and watching her father, hopped down and went with them out of curiosity. The three joined Wedge and Jessie, crowding around the TC, while Tails found a wall to lean on behind them.

"Hello, you're watching KNN. I'm your host, Scarlet Garcia," the brunette newscaster said to the cameras. Sitting beside her was a handsome, silver-furred lynx wearing a charcoal pinstripe suit, light blue dress shirt and a muted, striped blue tie. "And I'm Mick Williams," he said in a deep, modulated tone. "Tonight's breaking news story: The explosion that rocked Megaopolis, caused by terrorists blowing up the No.1 Energen Reactor just after midnight."

Scarlet picked up from her co-anchor. "The terrorist group in question – TORNADO – released a video shortly after the explosion, claiming responsibility for the attack. The video proclaimed that Energen is not an infinite source of energy and that RINGTEK is doing more harm for the environment than good. They also accused Kintobor Power Incorporations of misleading the public on the health risks of RINGTEK and ended with dire warnings that the attacks would continue should the city continue to depend on this valuable resource. The president of Kintobor Power Incorporations, which is the parent company of this news station, held a press conference immediately after the attack and had this to say:"

The station cut the live feed of the anchors and played a recording of the press conference, where President Gerald Kintobor stood on a podium behind a minimalist, metallic lectern, its top lined with microphones. A banner displaying the company's logo was draped on the wall behind him. The white-suited Overlander cleared his throat, catching the attention of the press.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the media, thank you for coming on such short notice," he said in a calm and matter-of-fact tone. "I can confirm that the group that calls themselves 'TORNADO' has carried out this attack on our great city. It is also expected that this group will continue its reign of terror upon the populace. However, I can assure you, good citizens of Megaopolis, that there is nothing to fear." His lips curled upwards, showing a winning smile. "I have just initiated measures that will help us root out these terrorists so we can bring them to justice. And," he continued over the sounds of cheering. "And also, I have mobilized SOLDIER to protect our people against this senseless violence." He paused, as the cheering grew louder. The recording ended and the screen cut back to the anchors.

Mick stacked his papers and started to talk about other things unrelated to the attack. The team took this as a cue to move away from the TC. Bark and Biggs returned to the heavy bag, Hope returned to her spot, Wedge sat back down to his papers and Jessie straightened up on her chair, staring at the data streaming from the data stick Biggs recovered. A few moments later, the woman slammed her hand hard on the workbench, staring at the computer. "Shit," she muttered, hoping the little girl near Bark didn't hear. Noticing that the room went silent, she swiveled the chair around and faced the group. "Sorry," she said quickly, before continuing. "I think I know why the alarms went off when Tails mounted the bomb; it turns out there's a cable that needs to be plugged into a port on the reactor control board first before turning on the device and mounting it. During the start-up process, the bomb's control board disables the tampering alarms on the reactor's control board. It was a miscalculation on my part that caused it, but at least I know for next time."

The fox pushed himself off the wall, catching the attention of Wedge who was nearest to him. "Speaking of which, he's here Boss," he said to Bark.

Bark stopped once more. "Finally, you show up," he said to the fox, disgruntled at waiting. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you." He watched Tails jerk his head upwards, motioning him to speak. "Those tails of yours, that let you fly like that? Are they for real? And how the hell did you do that in the first place?"

The fox's jaw dropped slightly, surprised at the question. '_Well, that came out of nowhere…_' "…Yes, they're real, I was born with them," he responded, recovering after a long pause. "As for the 'flying,' I'm afraid that's a trade secret." After gauging their reactions, the fox crossed his arms. "I get the feeling you have another question you want to ask me. Care to share it?" he said cockily.

'_Asshole,_' Bark thought, fighting the urge to punch the warrior's arrogant face. "Yeah, one more: Anyone from SOLDIER fighting us today?"

Tails moved to the space in front of the Tele-Crate, arms still crossed. "None," he said. "I'm positive."

"You sound pretty sure of yourself," Bark responded, hitting the heavy bag once.

"I AM sure," Tails retorted, gritting his teeth. "If there was anyone from SOLDIER at the reactor today, you wouldn't be standing here right now."

The members of TORNADO watched the exchange with baited breath as the tension between the two Mobians got thicker by the minute. The bear glared at the fox. "Don't go thinking you're the shit just because you were in SOLDIER," he said, growling.

The Ex-SOLDIER turned his back to Bark, processing what he said. '_Fucker shouldn't have anything against me; I saved his ass! Twice!_' he reflected, his folded arms hiding clenched fists. '_He should be thinking that I'm the shit on that fact alone! I'm getting tired of this; time to pack it in._' He turned back around, only to see Bark good fist missing the punching bag and hitting Biggs instead.

The force of the blow sent the Overlander flying into the wall. He crumpled to the ground like a sack of flour. "Did… anyone see that… truck that hit me?" he said, dazed.

Bark cringed as he heard the man hit the wall. _'Oops… Dunno my own strength sometimes,_' he thought as he rounded on Tails. "Yeah, you're strong," he said. "Probably all those guys in SOLDIER are." He then scowled at the fox and raised his voice to a commanding level. "But don't forget your two-tailed ass is working for TORNADO now! Don't get any ideas about hanging onto Kintobor, hear me?"

'_OK. That's it._' "Stayin' with Kintobor?" he said, his own voice seething with anger. "You asked me a question and I answered it… That's all." He walked up to the bear, stood on his tip-toes and used his tails to balance himself, leveling his electric blue eyes with Bark's reddish-brown orbs. "I'm going upstairs," he said. "I want to talk about my money." Righting himself onto the floor, he turned away and headed for the lift.

Cream hopped down, hearing the entire conversation from upstairs. She met her friend half way, stopping in front of him. "Tails, wait!" she said, "We can still-"

"Ah, let him go Cream," Bark interrupted, sneering. "Looks like fox-boy here still misses the Kintobor."

Tails faced the bear again, his Energen eyes blazing furiously. "Shut it!" he snapped, the room going dead silent as he spoke in a harsh tone. "I don't give a shit about Kintobor or SOLDIER! But don't get me wrong! I could care less about TORNADO or Mobius for that matter! So, unless you want to throw down right now in front of your daughter, I suggest we meet upstairs and you pay me. Now." He turned back to the elevator, brushing past Cream as he did so and pulled the plunger twice, activating the lift.

Soon after Tails returned to the bar area, Cream shot Bark a glare that said 'What the hell were you thinking?!' She pressed a button near the lift, summoning it back down as she faced the bear. "You know, I think at this point he's proven himself capable," she said to him acidly. "He's not gonna rat us out, or go back – he's suffered just the same as us, so cut him some slack. And remember, he _did_ help you guys get home safe and sound, so you, Bark, should remember that before mouthing off at him." She activated the lift, following her friend up while leaving the stunned leader of TORNADO in her wake.

* * *

Tails paced back and forth, waiting as patiently as he could for Bark to arrive and pay up so he could leave. He halted, perking up as he saw the elevator descend, but frowned when he saw Cream coming back up instead of his employer. "What are you doing? Where's Bark," Tails asked firmly.

The rabbit ignored his question. "Tails, please," She said, giving him her most imploring look. "I'm asking you to join us."

"I'm sorry Cream…" Tails muttered, turning away from her.

Cream sighed, frustrated at her friend's attitude. '_He has to stay!_' "Look, Mobius is dying. Slowly, but surely it's dying," she said. "Someone has to do something about it and I know that –"

"Then let Bark and his buddies handle it," Tails interrupted, picking up his sword and strapped it to his back before making his way out of the bar. "Look, when Bark gets his act together, tell him to find me at the Wall Market. I'm out of here."

Cream's mouth moved, struggling to form words to her now-departing childhood friend. Just before he pushed the saloon door open, she spoke out of desperation. "SO! You're really leaving?!" she shouted. "You're just going to walk out and ignore your childhood friend?!"

Tails turned around faster than she could blink. "How can you say that!?" he said angrily, completely out of character from his cool, calm and collected persona. "I'd never leave you alone! I just can't stand Bark! He's an asshole!"

Cream mouth parted open slightly at the fox's words. '_…That tone, that inflection, his body language… it's like he's now himself, how he was seven years ago. I'm so confused…_' Mentally shaking herself out of it, she took a step towards him. "So, you didn't forget then? The promise?" she asked cryptically, hoping he'd get the message.

Tails took a step back. "Promise?" he whispered, his mind racing for information. All he got from it was static… and a sinister, familiar laugh.

The fighter's eyes widened, her heart feeling like it was about to break. "You forgot the promise?" she said, her voice mixed with sadness, disappointment and a little incredulity. "Tails, it was seven years ago…"

To Tails, it was like a floodgate opened when she said those words. The corrupted guffaws and static were drowned out by the memories that suddenly filled his mind. "…The Great Oak Stump," he blurted out abruptly.

Cream blinked at the fox's mystifying behaviour. "You mean…" she said, trailing off, hope shining in her amber eyes.

"Seven years ago," Tails continued, taking a step towards her. "I asked you to meet me by the Great Oak Stump, right by the well in the middle of Knothole. I remember it was a cold, winter's night." He paused, looking down to the floor in a rare bit of embarrassment. "I… honestly thought you'd never come…"

* * *

_Fourteen year old Miles Prower was freezing his tails off._

_It was a cold and clear winter's night in Knothole Village as he huddled at the edge of an oaken stump fifteen feet in diameter, wrapping his two, bushy tails around him to keep warm. The trees that surrounded the town looked more like the skeletal arms of great beasts than the beautiful foliage and knotted limbs that the location was known for. The light from a full moon illuminated the towering figure of Mobius' highest peak, Mount Mobius, its shadow looming over as if it would swallow Knothole in darkness._

_The fox shuddered as waves of cold air hit him. He cursed himself for dressing inappropriately for the weather – a black t-shirt, blue shorts and a pair of red and white sneakers. He had no chance to grab his jacket before he could sneak out of his house. Glancing furtively at the building next to his own, he let out a deep sigh, frustrated at the waiting. _

"_Where are you..." he whispered, burrowing deeper into the layers of fur keeping the cold out. He almost wanted to give up and go home._

_His ears pricked as he heard the crunching sounds of gravel being stepped on behind him. He swiveled around to where the sounds originated from and spotted a figure approach him from behind the elevated water well. The fox could barely make out the silhouette, but inwardly he hoped that it was the Mobian he was waiting for._

"_Hey Miles," it said, in a soft, sugary-sweet voice. "Sorry I'm late." The figure stepped out into the dim moon light, revealing a young rabbit girl with ivory fur and patches of brown on her ears, head and around her eyes. She wore a thick brown winter coat over a subdued orange coloured dress and matching brown winter boots. _

_Miles shook his head. "It's OK Cream," he said. _

_The young girl walked over to the stump, hopped onto it and sat a few feet away from the two-tailed fox. She watched his tails unwrap from around him, before swinging his feet over the tall stump. The two entered an awkward silence; Miles trying to form the right words in his head and Cream wondering why he called her over. Eventually, the rabbit bit the bullet. "So Miles, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?" she asked politely._

_The fox gulped, feeling a lump in his throat. He gave her his most determined look. "Come this spring… I'm heading to Megaopolis," he said. Inwardly, he berated himself for the choice of words – he thought it sounded cooler in his head._

_Cream shrugged, looking down and away from him. "All the boys are leaving town," she said._

_Miles shook his head. "But I'm not like those guys," he said, his pre-pubescent voice cracking. "I'm not just gonna find a job, I'm gonna join SOLDIER!" He brought a clenched fist up to his face, looking at it. "I'm going to be the best there is… just like Nazo."_

_Bringing a hand up to her mouth, Cream's eyes widened. "Nazo… The great Nazo?" Tails nodded. The two lapsed into a long silence._

"… _Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?" the rabbit asked, glancing at Miles, who looked away at her gaze._

"_I might not be comin' back to this town for a while."_

"_Oh…" Cream said. "Well… will you be in the newspapers if you do well?"_

_Miles shrugged. "I'll try to," he said. Silence permeated between the two teens once more._

_Cream suddenly stood up from where she sat on the stump and then moved to the spot right beside the two-tailed fox. Sitting down, she looked at him fiercely. "We should make a promise."_

_The fox looked taken aback at her suggestion. "Huh?" he said, confused._

_She looked away from him once again, a tinge of red dusted on her cheeks. "Umm… if you get famous and… If I'm ever in a bind," she said shyly. "You come rescue me, alright?"_

_Miles started blushing himself. "W-what?" he stammered._

"_Well, whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will rescue me," she said, her face turning redder at every moment. "I want to experience that at least once in my life."_

"_What?" the fox repeated, clearly not believing that this was happening._

_Cream turned her head towards him. "Come on Miles!" she said, "Just promise me, please?" _

_Miles relented, nodding. "Alright… I promise," he said as a shooting star sailed above them, sealing the promise under the moonlit sky…_

* * *

Tails shook his head and frowned after reciting the promise the two made. "I'm sorry Cream," he said to her. "I'm not a hero and I'm not famous. I…I can't keep the promise."

Cream moved closer to him, trying to look into his eyes. "But you got your childhood dream didn't you?" she asked. "You joined SOLDIER. So come on! You have to keep your promise…"

Before the mercenary could respond, the lift activated. After a moment, it raised up bringing along Bark, his arms folded and his snout painted with annoyance. "Hold up a sec Tails," he said gruffly, his brows furrowed. Stepping off the lift, he dug into his combat vest, pulled out a wad of cash held together by a money clip and tossed it to him. "Here's your pay, as promised," He turned his back to the fox, tapping his foot impatiently. "Now get the hell out of here and don't let the door hit you on the way out."

Catching it easily, Tails fingered the bills and counted them in his head. _'1,500, huh? Not bad._' Instead of pocketing it however, his eyes traveled to Cream. She was standing in between, chewing her lip, her eyes travelling between the fox and the bear. Tails took a moment to think about what she said and about the promise they made all those years ago before coming to a decision.

"Is this my pay?" he asked, looking at the money with mock disdain. "Don't make me laugh."

Bark righted on the fox, "What?!" he barked out, surprised at the fox's declaration. "Then you'll –"

"If you got the next mission lined up for me, I'll do it for double," Tails interrupted, smirking.

The polar bear reeled back from the fox's words. "What!" he shouted. He went to approach the mercenary, his eyes blazing, only to have Cream stop him.

"Hey, hey, it's OK Bark," she said, before speaking to him in an undertone. "Look, I know we're really hurting for help, but… you've seen first-hand what he's capable of. We're gonna need him if we're to succeed."

Bark sighed, rubbing his forehead with his palm. "Y'know, that money was supposed to be for Hope's school fund…" he whispered, shaking his head.

Tails frowned, his enhanced hearing picking up their conversation. _'That money was for Hope? Hmph, I may be a mercenary and I may be a killer, but I'm not heartless.'_ "Bark, I have a suggestion for you," he said to the bear. When he got his attention, he flung the money clip back to him.

Hastily catching it, Bark gave him a confused look. "What are you –"

"Call it insurance on your end," Tails butted in again. "You keep the 1,500 mobium. If we succeed, you agree to pay that back to me plus another 3,000 on top. If I don't perform to your standards, or if we fail however, you keep the money I gave back you and I don't get paid. Plain and simple as that." He gave the polar bear a moment to let it sink in. "So, how about it?"

Bark crossed his arms. _'I hate to say it out loud… but we could really use his help…_' "This," he eventually said, holding up the bills. "Plus another 1,750."

'_Aha, time to negotiate_,' Tails thought, inwardly smirking at the bear's behaviour. 'Either I convinced him that I'm the best man for the job, or he's desperate.' "2,600," the fox countered.

"1,900!"

"2,200."

"2,000!"

"Done," Tails said with a cocky smile on his face.

Cream approached the fox, beaming at him. "Thanks Tails," she said.

"Well, if you're done, we got work to do," Bark said, heading back to the pinball machine. "Gotta go over the plans for the next operation. We start bright and early in the morning, so get down here and pull your weight fox-boy, because I'm paying you good money for this!" He pulled the plunger twice. As he descended back into the hideout, he couldn't help but smile a little bit. '_I don't think I've ever seen Cream smile like that, not in the few years I've known her for,_' he reflected, the barmaid in his thoughts. '_If it helps her to move on, then I better have enough money on me to make him stay…_'

* * *

**A/N:**That's that. See you next month!


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